Markesbery Symposium

The Markesbery Symposium is held annually in memory of the late William R. Markesbery, MD, founding director of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Dr. Markesbery's legacy of groundbreaking research has formed the bedrock for our quest to understand and treat Alzheimer's disease and to improve the quality of life of older adults. The two-day symposium features a daylong scientific meeting with poster session followed by a half-day community session to which the public is invited free of charge. An “Ask the Experts” panel is a popular component of the community session.

2024 Markesbery Symposium

The 2024 Markesbery Symposium will be held September 27-28. Check back as more details will be coming soon!


Scientific Session Past Presenters
2023	Malu Tansey, PhD	Targeting Chronic Inflammation and the Gut-Brain Axisto Reduce Risk for Neurodegeneration
2023	David Morgan, PhD	Immune Activation in Models of Tauopathy
2023	Anika Hartz, PhD	Blood-Brain Barrier Repair to Improve Cognition in Alzheimer’s Disease
2023	David Fardo, PhD	A Genome-wide Association Study of Neuropathological Endophenotypes
2022	Ann McKee, MD	CTE: What Is It? What Is Its Relationship to Repetitive Head Impacts?
2022	Josh Grill, PhD	Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease: Translating Cutting Edge Research into Everyday Practice
2022	Kate Foley, PhD	The Role of Human Plasma Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Dementia
2022	Mark Ebbert, PhD	Using Long-Read Sequencing Technologies to Identify Key Drivers and Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease
2022	Ryan Shahidehpour, Graduate Student and TRIAD T32 Trainee,	The Role of Dystrophic Microglia in Neurodegenerative Diseases Related to Aging
2022	Christopher Norris, PhD	Strategies for Targeting Astrocyte Reactivity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (STAR-AD/ADRD)
2021	Frederick A. Schmitt, PhD	35 Years of the University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s DiseaseCenter: Past Discoveries and Future Directions
2021	Maj-Linda Selenica, PhD	Investigating the role of hypusinated eIF5A in AD and relatedTDP-43 proteinopathy disorders
2021	Josh Morganti, PhD	Diversity and susceptibility of microglial responses in a mousemodel of mixed etiology dementia
2020	Ronald Petersen, MD, PhD	Is MCI Still a Viable Construct in 2020?
2020	Alison Goate, D.Phil.	Human Genetics Implicates Efferocytosis in Alzheimer’s Disease
2019	Adam Brickman, PhD	Reconsidering Harbingers of Alzheimer’s Disease: Risk Factors, Biomarkers, and White Matter Hyperintensities
2019	Olivier Thibault, PhD	Ups and Downs of Calcium in Models of Aging and AD
2019	Jenna Gollihue, PhD	Manipulating Astrocytes for Better Brain Health
2019	Kendra Hargis-Staggs, PhD	Gray and White Matter Neurovascular Ceruloplasmin Expression in Alzheimer’s Disease
2019	Daniel C. Lee, PhD	Emerging Role of the Polyamine Stress Response in Alzheimer’s Disease
2018	Monica W. Parker, MD	Engaging the underserved in brain health and research
2018	Sanjay Asthana, MD, FACP	Preclinical biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease: emerging concepts & clinical utility
2018	Donna Wilcock, PhD	Identification of novel fluid biomarkers for vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID)
2018	Lance Johnson, PhD	Metabolic reprogramming and Alzheimer’s disease risk: the role of ApoE4
2018	Elizabeth Head, PhD	Changes in cerebrovascular pathology as a function of age and Alzheimer disease in Down syndrome
2018	Dr. Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD	Modulation of micro-RNA pathways by gemfibrozil in predementia Alzheimer disease: clinical translational research at Sanders-Brown Center on Aging


Community Session Past Presenters
2023	Malu Tansey, PhD	Why Gut Health Matters for Brain Health
2023	David Morgan, PhD	Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s Disease: 25 Years from Mouse Models to Approved Treatment in People Living with Alzheimer’s
2023	Alaine Reschke-Hernandez, PhD, MT-BC	Harmonizing Music Therapy Research in Dementia Care
2023	Frederick Schmitt, PhD	Trisomy 21: Providing Insights into Dementia
2023	Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD	Anti-Amyloid Therapy: Who’s Benefitting and How Do We Move Forward?
2022	Josh Grill, PhD	Can We Prevent Alzheimer’s?
2022	Ann McKee, MD	The Inconvenient Truth About Football
2022	Lauren Whitehurst, PhD	“Sleep Tight”, “Memory Bright”: Research on the Cost of Racial Sleep Disparities for Memory Processing
2022	Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD	Creating Harmony While Caring for People Living with Dementia
2021	Allan Levey, MD, PhD	Accelerating Progress for Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease?
2021	Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD, & Erin Abner, PhD	Aducanamab / Aduhelm: The controversial new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
2020	Maria Carrillo, PhD	Advancing the Science: The Latest in Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research
2020	Daniel Moga, MD, PhD	My Medications and Why Should I Know about Them
2020	Peter Nelson, MD, PHD	LATE: What It Is, Why It’s Important, and How We Might Beat It
2019	Laura D. Baker, PhD	Can LIFESTYLE Impact Health of the Mind As We Age?
2019	Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD	Clinical Trials Update
2018	Sanjay Asthana, MD, FACP	Early Diagnosis and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease: Role of Biomarkers and Estrogen Hormone
2018	Monica W. Parker, MD	Alzheimer’s and The Brain: What We Know