January 12, 2009
CONTACT: Kim Guenther
kim.guenther@uphs.upenn.edu
Invitation to Cover: Experts from Penn Medicine and Industry Gather to Call Attention to Impending Alzheimer’s Disease Epidemic
Special Event Premieres PBS Documentary – Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts
PHILADELPHIA – On the evening of January 13, WHYY will host the debut of a critical documentary examining the personal and societal impact of Alzheimer’s disease. Penn Medicine researchers, senior leadership as well as pharmaceutical industry and philanthropic leaders will gather to discuss the implications of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and costs the U.S. economy nearly $150 billion annually.
“It is the cruelest of diseases, to lose everything you are and for your body to continue, seemingly healthy,” notes John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Director of the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Core Center. “We are facing the largest epidemic of a dementing illness in history, yet limited resources are dedicated to curing this disease.”
Preview DVDs of the film are available upon request. For more information on Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts, please visit http://alzheimersfacingthefacts.org.
WHO: |
Opening Remarks, introduced by WHYY CEO Bill Marrazzo:
Q & A:
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WHERE: |
WHYY Technology Center |
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WHEN: |
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
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About Alzheimer’s Disease: Facing the Facts:
The film was developed through the efforts of Carol Edwards, Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center, and features experts from four National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s centers, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
MetLife funded the integration and expansion of two previously created public education videos (available free through the National Institute on Aging) into Alzheimer's Disease: Facing the Facts, which will air on more than 80 percent of PBS stations nationwide.
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PENN Medicine is a $3.6 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is currently ranked #4 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report's survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to most recent data from the National Institutes of Health, received over $379 million in NIH research funds in the 2006 fiscal year. Supporting 1,700 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) includes its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation’s top ten “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition UPHS includes a primary-care provider network; a faculty practice plan; home care, hospice, and nursing home; three multispecialty satellite facilities; as well as the Penn Medicine Rittenhouse campus, which offers comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient services in multiple specialties.
This release is available online at
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/01/alzheimers-documentary.html