Confronting the Human Costs of Alzheimer's

Countless numbers of us have experienced the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease. As I did with my own mother, we have watched with increasing frustration as someone we love slips away day by day without comprehension, control, or comfort, and we have often felt powerless to help. Hope has been in short supply.

But it was with a tremendous feeling of hope that Dean Larry Jameson and I welcomed a group of some 50 Alzheimer’s disease luminaries to the University of Pennsylvania in June for the Marian S. Ware Alzheimer Program Invitational Summit, co-hosted by Penn Nursing, Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, and The Campaign to End Alzheimer’s Disease by 2020. The conference, dedicated to the state of the science of Alzheimer’s disease, was sponsored by the Marian S. Ware 2006 CWG Charitable Lead Annuity Trust with support from Penn Nursing alumna and Overseer Carol Elizabeth Ware. In Penn’s historic Houston Hall, experts from academia, industry, and the care and philanthropic communities came together to map out a strategy to implement the “National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease,” which was released this spring by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Conference leaders will produce a paper with specific recommendations for the plan.

The take-home message from the meeting was one of urgency to envision and implement both long-term solutions in the form of new treatments and prevention measures as well as more supportive and holistic care options for patients and caregivers. With Dr. Jason Karlawish of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, Dr. Mary Naylor, the Marian S. Ware Professor of Gerontology and director of the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health at Penn Nursing, led the conference. Dr. Naylor’s work in transitional care holds great potential for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. She and others who participated in a work-group on clinical care and health services research continually reminded their colleagues to keep in mind the human costs of the disease and the needs of patients and families from the time of initial recognition that something is wrong, through the inexorable decline in cognition and physical function, and finally to the end of life.

This conference represents a watershed moment in worldwide efforts to confront what eminent Alzheimer’s researcher Dr. John Trojanowski called the “silver tsunami” of aging in our global society. Working together, across disciplines, institutions, and geographical boundaries, we will indeed find solutions to the challenges we face throughout the full care-to-cure spectrum.

History in the Making

When any one of our alumni shines, our entire School shares in the glow. As we open Alumni Weekend, news from several of our graduates gives us even more reason to celebrate. At a time when the voices of nurses are becoming even more important – and I believe more powerful -- than ever, Penn Nursing graduates take the lead in education, health, and science. Here are just three distinguished examples.

Divina Grossman, GRN’89, has been named chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Grossman has served as Florida International University’s founding vice president for engagement, developing partnerships at local, state, national, and global levels. In this role, she also led a university-wide effort to coordinate and expand internship opportunities for students. Dr. Grossman, an expert in biological rhythms and fever management, chairs the health disparities task force of the American Academy of Nursing. Her reputation as an energetic and outgoing leader is a hallmark of our Penn Nursing alumni.

Eileen Sullivan-Marx, HUP’72, Nu’76, Gr’95, has been named dean of the College of Nursing at New York University. At Penn Nursing, Dr. Sullivan-Marx has been a professor of scholarly practice, associate dean for practice and community affairs and Shearer Endowed Term Chair for Healthy Community Practices in the Penn School of Nursing. Her leadership has been extraordinary, overseeing Penn Nursing’s practice and community mission through oversight of our School’s Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE), our Living Independently For Elders (LIFE) program, our Healthy in Philadelphia Initiative, our Penn Nursing Consultation Service, our Penn Council of Nurses, and our Center for Professional Development. Of course we will miss Dr. Sullivan-Marx, but her national leadership is a reflection on her HUP and Penn Nursing education and on the excellence of our School.

And our newest graduates already are shooting stars. As he joins the ranks of our alumni on Monday, James Calderwood, Nu’12, W’12, has been selected as a U.S. Congressional intern. His work as a student demonstrates that he does indeed care to change the world. Mr. Calderwood was a medical assistant at DoCare International, which serves in remote areas of the world, and a team leader with the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative in West Philadelphia.  As an intern focusing on health policy, he will make his alma mater proud. We have great expectations for all our 2012 alumni!
This is a most exciting weekend when we welcome back our graduates for Alumni Weekend and draw our 125th anniversary commemoration to a close. We look forward to hearing more about the accomplishments of our alumni as Penn Nursing continues to make history. Update us on your achievements anytime at www.nursing.upenn.edu/alumni. Hurrah for the Red and the Blue!