Alzheimer’s Association director to speak at GU

Dean Hartley, director of science initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association, will talk about new developments in Alzheimer’s research in a free presentation today.

The talk, open to the public, will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. in a moot courtroom at the Gonzaga School of Law, 721 N. Cincinnati St. in Spokane. The event is hosted by Gonzaga and the Alzheimer’s Association’s Inland Northwest chapter.

Hartley will give an overview of current research, discussing early detection, similarities between Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome and other topics, according to a news release from the local chapter.

Before going to work for the national organization, Hartley taught in the neurology department and performed research at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He’s also taught at Harvard Medical School and researched at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, including about 97,000 in Washington and 22,000 in Idaho, according to the local chapter. The progressive disease destroys memory and other mental functions.