{"id":26981,"date":"2024-07-17T14:55:36","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T18:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=26981"},"modified":"2024-07-17T14:55:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T18:55:36","slug":"new-marshall-university-endowment-supports-alzheimers-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2024\/07\/new-marshall-university-endowment-supports-alzheimers-research\/","title":{"rendered":"New Marshall University endowment supports Alzheimer’s research\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
A new endowment fund established by the West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star will support Alzheimer’s research efforts at the <\/span>Marshall University<\/span> Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine<\/span><\/span><\/a>, aiming to advance scientific understanding and develop effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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Founded in the mid-19th century by Dr. Rob Morris, the Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization <\/span>w<\/span>ith approximately 10,000 chapters across 18 countries and <\/span>500,000 members<\/span> worldwide, including 65 chapters and <\/span>nearly <\/span>10,000<\/span> members<\/span> in West Virginia<\/span>. <\/span>Each year, during its annual Grand Chapter Session, the Order’s Worthy Grand Matron selects a special project or charity to support. In October 2022,<\/span> Teresa D. Cisco was <\/span>elected<\/span> Worthy <\/span>Grand Matron<\/span> and<\/span> chose to focus on Alzheimer’s research, driven by a deeply personal connection to the cause.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“My mother, Melissa D.<\/span> Cisco, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019 by a neurologist at Marshall University<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> School of Medicine<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>Cisco<\/span> said. \u201c<\/span>I watched this strong, intelligent woman\u2019s mind slowly deteriorate due to the devastating effects of Alzheimer\u2019s disease. <\/span>Witnessing its profound impact on patients and their families, I felt compelled to contribute to finding a cure, and Marshall University was the natural choice.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The decision to support Marshall University was also influenced by a deep family connection, as Cisco, her mother, her <\/span>aunt<\/span> and her niece are all proud alumni.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine is engaged in various research initiatives to address Alzheimer\u2019s <\/span>d<\/span>isease and related dementias, including the Institute for Excellence in Prescribing for Elders with Dementia, which focuses on innovative therapies and <\/span>appropriate prescribing<\/span> techniques. Translational research aims to <\/span>identify<\/span> dementia biomarkers for better diagnosis and new treatments.<\/span> Through c<\/span>ollaborati<\/span>ons<\/span> with <\/span>the Marshall University c<\/span>ollege<\/span>s<\/span> of <\/span>l<\/span>iberal <\/span>a<\/span>rts <\/span>and<\/span> a<\/span>rts and <\/span>m<\/span>edia, the <\/span>medical school<\/span> is also exploring the effects of art therapy on cognitive decline. Clinically, the Susan Edwards Drake Memory Assessment Clinic, the <\/span>Marshall <\/span>Center for Healthy Aging and Hanshaw Geriatric Center <\/span>all <\/span>provide comprehensive treatment and support for dementia patients<\/span> at Marshall Health<\/span>, with <\/span>additional<\/span> memory evaluations available through <\/span>n<\/span>eurology and <\/span>p<\/span>sychiatry.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlzheimer\u2019s disease and other dementias can be particularly trying because they affect a patient\u2019s sense of self,\u201d said Lynne <\/span>J.<\/span> Goebel, M.D., professor of medicine and geriatrics at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.\u202f\u201cNot only are these disorders challenging for patients, but they can place significant strain on caregivers.\u202f<\/span>Everyone<\/span> knows someone with Alzheimer\u2019s or dementia and knows how damaging the disease can be.\u202fMy own mother passed away from Alzheimer\u2019s three years ago<\/span>,<\/span> and <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> devastating to watch your loved one lose their memories and become a different person. This endowment will open doors to new research in dementia at Marshall<\/span>\u2014<\/span>research that I hope will <\/span>benefit<\/span> the millions of people suffering from this disease and their caregivers.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For more information or to make a gift to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, please contact <\/span>Linda S. <\/span>Holmes<\/span>, associate dean of development and alumni affairs,<\/span> at 304.691.1711 <\/span>or\u202f<\/span><\/span>holmes@marshall.edu<\/span><\/span><\/a>. For news and information about the school of medicine, follow us on X\u202f<\/span><\/span>@MUSOMWV<\/span><\/span><\/a>, like us on\u202f<\/span><\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202for visit\u202f<\/span><\/span>jcesom.marshall.edu<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PHOTO CAPTION: On behalf of the West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star, Teresa D. Cisco (right) presents Linda Holmes (left) with a check to create a new endowment fund to support\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Alzheimer’s research efforts at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new endowment fund established by the West Virginia Order of the Eastern Star will support Alzheimer’s research efforts at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, aiming to advance scientific understanding and develop effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.\u00a0 Founded in the mid-19th century by Dr. Rob Morris, the Order of the Eastern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":26982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,78,79,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare","category-jcesom","category-marshall-health","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26983,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26981\/revisions\/26983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}