Awards presented at the 2012 Advocacy Forum

Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award

This honor recognizes an individual, organization or company whose actions have promoted greater understanding of Alzheimer's disease and its effects on diagnosed individuals, families and caregivers.

At the National Alzheimer's Dinner, leader in the Alzheimer's movement, journalist and author Maria Shriver, whose father Sargent Shriver passed away from Alzheimer's, presented the Alzheimer's Association Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award to Coach Pat Summitt and her son, Tyler.

Coach Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, publically shared her diagnosis of early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type, last August at the age of 59. She and Tyler then created The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, to provide grants to nonprofits like the Alzheimer's Association that raise awareness of the disease, support families and advance research, all while Summitt led the Lady Vols to an impressive 27-9 season.

Alzheimer's Association Humanitarian Award

The Humanitarian Award is an annual award bestowed upon public officials who have made a significant policy contribution to advancements in research and enhanced care and support for people with Alzheimer's disease. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Mike Burgess, M.D., (R-Texas) were honored this year.

Sen. Stabenow introduced the Health Outcomes, Planning and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer's Act in the Senate. She was a champion of the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) and continues to work for a strong National Alzheimer's Plan. During health care reform, Sen. Stabenow worked to ensure that the Medicare Annual Wellness visit included the detection of cognitive impairment. She is also a member of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease.

Dr. Burgess has been a key leader on Alzheimer's issues. He was a critical voice in support of the passage of the NAPA and is an original cosponsor of both the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act and the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act in the House of Representatives. In addition, he introduced the Making Investments Now for Dementia (MIND) Act that the Alzheimer's Association has endorsed.

Alzheimer's Association Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Award

This honor is reserved for those who make significant advancements in Alzheimer's research. The 2012 award was presented to Col. Karl E. Friedl, Ph.D., director, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, located at Fort Detrick, Md.

Col. Friedl has been a stalwart leader in supporting innovative, outcome-oriented research programs, including the Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program. Under his leadership, the Peer-Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program concentrates on groundbreaking research relevant to both the military and the Alzheimer's community, particularly better understanding traumatic brain injury and its association to Alzheimer's disease. The program also invests in new strategies dedicated to improving the quality of life for those affected by the disease.

Alzheimer's Association Advocate Award

This award is presented annually to an extraordinary Alzheimer's advocate who has shown outstanding leadership.

Garrett Davis, an Alzheimer's Association Ambassador from North Carolina, was honored this year. A playwright and an actor, he created the "Forget Me Not Project" as a tribute to his grandmother, who died of Alzheimer's while Garrett was in college, and the family members who cared for her.

The play explores one family's experience with Alzheimer's and aims to raise awareness of the disease and the need for increased support, services and federal research funding. In the course of researching the play, Davis learned how underfunded Alzheimer's research is and was spurred to become involved with advocacy.

For more information: advocacyforum@alz.org