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 I founded The Dementia League after my mother was diagnosed with dementia. I wanted to create an altruistic organization built from the ground up to address two pillars of the Dementia Problem: Research and Risk.  To address these pillars we must: 

1. Facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation. Expanding paradigms and accelerating discoveries requires uniting top scientists, fostering collaboration, and creating mentoring programs to build future expertise. Supporting graduate and undergraduate students—who rely on publications to establish themselves as tomorrow’s leaders—is key to sustaining progress. 
2. Dramatically increase the diversity and number of research participants. Clinical labs are often severely constrained by participant recruitment. To overcome this, we must make science approachable and trustworthy to the public, ensuring that diverse populations are represented in studies and breakthroughs benefit everyone. 
3. Focus on prevention, possibly the only cure. Dementia is the result of multiple interacting factors that result in a state of neural degeneration, in a way that often resembles a syndrome. Pushing the onset of dementia and its related diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's, FTD, Lewy Body) beyond the natural lifespan may be achievable by lowering risk factors, at least for some individuals. This involves effectively communicating research findings in a way that is trustworthy, approachable, and understandable. By minimizing the impact of medical and lifestyle risks, we empower people to make informed choices that protect their brain health. 

By 2050 it is estimated there will be over 150 Million people living with dementia. This will cost families $1.6 trillion. The emotional costs, however, will be immeasurable.  

- Dr. Chad Edwards