Participant Appreciation Event
On November 2, 2024, the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging Participant Appreciation Event celebrated the 20th anniversary of the study. Attendees gathered at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Research leaders thanked them for their contributions to the study, gave updates from the past year and shared future directions. Below are some highlights.
Mayo Clinic CEO Gianrico Farrugia, M.D.
Dr. Farrugia opened the event with a video welcome. In the video, he acknowledged the 20th anniversary of the study as well as the importance of the study to Mayo Clinic as an institution.
Study director Ronald C. Petersen, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Petersen gave an update on the Study of Aging. He shared that U.S. Food and Drug Administration used criteria created by the study to decide if people are eligible to be treated with recently approved antiamyloid medicines.
Beverly Gwen Windham, M.D.
Dr. Windham, of the University of Mississippi Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center, discussed collaboration between the MIND Center and the Study of Aging. The University of Mississippi has recruited more than 400 participants into the study.
Essa Mohamed, Ph.D.
Dr. Mohamed, of Mayo Clinic, conducts outreach with immigrant populations and rural communities in Olmsted County, Minnesota. He explained why having diverse participation matters.
Prashanthi Vemuri, Ph.D.
Dr. Vemuri, a Mayo Clinic radiology researcher, talked about vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. Dr. Vemuri uses MRI scans to find new ways to prevent this type of dementia.
Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D.
Dr. Graff-Radford, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, shared how discoveries made in the Study of Aging are making their way to the clinic. For example, blood tests created with study data help healthcare teams diagnose dementia more quickly.
Clifford R. Jack Jr., M.D.
Dr. Jack, of Mayo Clinic, shared that data provided by study participants has contributed to understanding that Alzheimer's disease begins years before symptoms start. This led scientists to change the definition of Alzheimer's disease.
Thank you to everyone who attended the event.