Valley of Forgetting: the Search for a Cure for Alzheimer Disease




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ClassGraphic Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared diseases of aging. It robs people of their memories, identities, and dignity. Despite years of research, no effective treatment has been discovered. In Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer’s Families and the Search for a Cure (Riverhead Books, 2025), author Jennie Erin Smith recounts the story of a doctor in Colombia who, in the 1980s, discovered an extended clan at high risk for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. A charismatic and dedicated physician, he formed international scientific collaborations and founded a research institute to collect data systematically on hundreds of individuals from these families. The author moved to Colombia in 2017 and became intimately acquainted with both the families and the researchers. She movingly describes the devastation of this disease and the added challenges posed by the poverty and violence that plagued this region. Join us to explore the valuable insights gleaned from the study of these families and some of the new ideas for therapeutic intervention for Alzheimer’s disease inspired by this work. (Note: participants will need to read about 85 pages per week.)
 

Class Details

4 Session(s)
Weekly - Thu

Location
TBD

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition: 

$0.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
1/22/2026 - 2/12/2026 Weekly - Thu 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM TBD Mary Hummel  ; Rachel Ochs 

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