Seth M. Keller, MD

Seth M. Keller, MD, a board-certified neurologist in private practice with Neurology Associates of South Jersey. He specializes in the evaluation and care of adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) with neurologic complications. He cares for individuals with IDD both in the community as well in New Jersey’s ICF/DD centers. Dr Keller is on the Executive Board of the Arc of Burlington County as well as on the board for The Arc of New Jersey Mainstreaming Medical Care Board. Dr Keller is the Past President of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD). Dr Keller is the co-chair of the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG). Dr. Keller is also the chair of the Adult IDD Section with the American Academy of Neurology.

Peter Bulova, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, The University of Pittsburgh Adult Down Syndrome Center
Dr. Bulova is an Associate Professor of General Internal Medicine who began working with adults with Down syndrome in 2003. He completed his undergraduate training at Brown University. His medical school, internal medicine residency and chief residency took place at the University of Pittsburgh.

Nancy Murray, MS

Nancy is the president of The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh at ACHIEVA. She has 40 years of experience in the disability field in the areas of public policy, advocacy, family support, supports coordination, health care, and state government. Nancy’s primary area of interest and study is the resilience of families of children and adults with disabilities and the long-term impact of caring for a person with a disability on a family. Nancy has conducted numerous seminars and has written numerous articles for families and professionals on disability issues.
Nancy is the project director of ACHIEVA’s Disability Healthcare Initiative which is focused on access to healthcare for people with disabilities. She has served as a founder and coordinator of the Down Syndrome Center at Children’s Hospital (UPMC) of Pittsburgh.

Michelle Rossi, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Associate Director of Clinical Care Activities, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) VA Pgh Healthcare System, Director, Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) Clinic at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Clay Jacobs

Executive Director, Alzheimer's Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter

During the Alzheimer's Impact Movement Advocacy Forum, I had the tremendous privilege to testify before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. During my testimony I spoke on behalf of the 5.8 million Americans including 280,000 Pennsylvanians living with Alzheimer's disease and especially underserved populations. 

Among the millions of individuals living with Alzheimer's, we know that there are communities who are disproportionately affected but remain underserved. Older African Americans are approximately twice as likely to have Alzheimer's or other dementias as older whites, and older Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to be affected. 

Another population that is often under-recognized and underserved is the approximately 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. In Pennsylvania, we are aware of the unique challenges of younger individuals with Alzheimer's and have developed and implemented a variety of programs in response. We offer early-stage education and support groups throughout the Commonwealth and promote social engagement in local communities by partnering with museums, local tourism boards, and libraries. We also work with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to train facilitators for memory cafés.

In spite of these efforts to support this population, however, we know that they simply do not have access to many of the services they need. That is why the Alzheimer's Association and AIM are strong supporters of the Younger-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Act (S. 901/H.R. 1903). The legislation would allow individuals under the age of 60 living with Alzheimer's disease to access supports and services from programs under the Older Americans Act (OAA). Those programs include supportive services and respite care through the National Family Caregiver Support Program.

James A. Hendrix, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer for LuMind IDSC

 As the Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Hendrix directs scientific initiatives for LuMind IDSC. A critical element of his role is to establish the nationwide Down Syndrome – Clinical Trial Network (DS-CTN) and to oversee the first clinical trial in the DS-CTN, the Longitudinal Investigation for Enhancing Down Syndrome Research (LIFE-DSR) Study. The LIFE-DSR study is a natural history study focused on adults 25 years of age and older at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Hendrix is also focused on building potential collaborations with industry, academic and government scientists focused on Down syndrome research to maximize LuMind IDSC’s scientific impact.

Prior to joining LuMind, Dr. Hendrix was Director of Global Science Initiatives, at the Alzheimer’s Association. In this role Dr. Hendrix managed industry consortia such as the Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable (AARR); lead the Global Biomarker Standardization Consortium; and assisted with the coordination of the $100 million-dollar Imaging Dementia—Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study on the clinical usefulness of amyloid PET imaging.

Before joining the Alzheimer’s Association, Dr. Hendrix was a medicinal chemist with a focus on drug discovery for CNS diseases. Dr. Hendrix spent 18 years working at Sanofi-Aventis and predecessor companies, where he rose to level of senior director, U.S. site head for CNS research. He also spent two years working in the biotech industry with various companies, including companies focused on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Hendrix received his Ph.D. and a postdoctoral fellowship from Colorado State University in organic chemistry.