HHS Alzheimer’s Advisory Council welcomes six new members

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services has turned over half of its membership, bringing six new faces to the effort. The council, which advises the HHS secretary on programs that relate to people who have Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias and makes recommendations for the National Action Plan, has twelve non-federal members with varying terms.

The six new members are:

Laura Gitlin, PhD, is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Innovative Care in Aging and is a national expert in non-pharmacologic strategies for dementia care.

Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, is a geriatric psychiatrist and an assistant professor at Brown University.

Myriam Marquez is a patient advocate who lives with Alzheimer’s disease.

Angela Taylor is Director of Programs at the Lewy Body Dementia Association, where she oversees national programs, services and research initiatives.

Sowande Tichawonna is a filmmaker who served as the family caregiver for his mother, who had dementia.

Donna Walberg serves as an Alzheimer’s disease resource expert for the Minnesota Board on Aging. She helped draft the legislation to create Minnesota’s state Alzheimer’s Plan.

The Council also includes federal members representing federal agencies including the Administration on Aging, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veteran Affairs and others.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.