PHILADELPHIA – On the evening of January 13, WHYY will host the debut of a critical documentary examining the personal and societal impact of Alzheimer’s disease. Penn Medicine researchers, senior leadership as well as pharmaceutical industry and philanthropic leaders will gather to discuss the implications of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and costs the U.S. economy nearly $150 billion annually.
“It is the cruelest of diseases, to lose everything you are and for your body to continue, seemingly healthy,” notes John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Director of the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Core Center. “We are facing the largest epidemic of a dementing illness in history, yet limited resources are dedicated to curing this disease.”
Preview DVDs of the film are available upon request. For more information on Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts, please visit http://alzheimersfacingthefacts.org.
WHO: |
Opening Remarks, introduced by WHYY CEO Bill Marrazzo:
- Ralph W. Muller, Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System
- Glen N. Gaulton, PhD, Executive Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer, Penn Medicine
- Sibyl Jacobson, President, MetLife Foundation, national underwriter of Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts
- Michael Russomano, Vice President, Alzheimer's Family, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (Wyeth is sponsoring the WHYY Premiere and local program underwriter of Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts)
- Carol Edwards, Executive Producer of Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts and Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center
Q & A:
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WHERE: |
WHYY Technology Center
150 North Sixth Street
Philadelphia, PA |
WHEN: |
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
5:30PM – 8:00PM
| 5:30PM |
Reception |
6:15PM |
Opening remarks |
6:30PM |
Screening of Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts |
7:00PM |
Q&A |
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About Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts:
The film was developed through the efforts of Carol Edwards, Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center, and features experts from four National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s centers, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
MetLife funded the integration and expansion of two previously created public education videos (available free through the National Institute on Aging) into Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts, which will air on more than 80 percent of PBS stations nationwide.
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