Dr. Goldie Byrd
Dr. Goldie Byrd is the Nathan F. Simms Endowed professor of biology at North Carolina A&T State University, where she served as chair of biology for six years. She is also an adjunct professor of genetics at Duke. Dr. Byrd partners with colleagues at the University of Miami, Vanderbilt and Columbia to understand the genetic epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease in African-Americans. Dr. Byrd has also been published extensively and presented her findings on African-American incentives and barriers to research participation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease 2009 (ICAD) in Vienna, Austria.

Warachal Faison, M.D.
Warachal Faison, M.D., is a geriatric psychiatrist currently serving as a medical director in Neuroscience Primary Care at Pfizer Inc. For more than 15 years, she has studied the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the African-American community, including minority recruitment for clinical trials. Dr. Faison, a proponent of community education and active discussion, participated in the Alzheimer’s Association Diversity Dialogue during the Alzheimer’s Action Summit in Washington, D.C. March 7-9, 2010.