Three University of Kentucky College of Medicine students recently took their passion for Alzheimer’s advocacy to the nation’s capital, meeting with lawmakers to champion research, education, and access to care for those impacted by dementia. The trio traveled to Washington, D.C., as volunteer advocates with the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum.
Fourth-year medical student Elena Manauis, MD/PhD trainee MaKayla Cox, and fourth-year PhD candidate Isaiah Stephens each carry personal and professional connections to this work. From losing loved ones to neurodegenerative diseases to advancing critical research at UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, all three are deeply committed to changing the future of Alzheimer’s care.
For Manauis, this was her second time attending the forum. She first began advocating as a volunteer in 2022, inspired by the loss of her grandfather to Lewy Body Dementia in 2019. Manauis has also contributed to research in the lab of Michael Paul Murphy, PhD, professor of molecular and cellular biochemistry, investigating how sleep fragmentation and biological sex impact Alzheimer’s progression.
“As an aspiring emergency medicine physician, I know how vital it is to improve care for patients with dementia,” she said. “But beyond that, it’s personal. I’ve seen what this disease can do to a family.”
Cox, a student trainee in the lab of Adam Bachstetter, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience, also knows the toll firsthand. She helped care for her great-grandmother, who lived with Alzheimer’s. Now, in the lab, she studies the role of reduced blood flow in driving neuroinflammation in conditions like vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s, and traumatic brain injury. This year also marked her second time attending the forum.
For Stephens, this was his first time at the forum. He’s currently investigating how disruptions in lipid metabolism — particularly in the context of APOE4, the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease — drive disease progression, under the mentorship of Lance Johnson, PhD, associate professor of physiology.
Together, the trio of students met with Kentucky representatives, including Rep. Barr, Rep. McGarvey, and Rep. Comer, as well as Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul. In conversations with congressional offices, they provided medical and scientific insight on the importance of newly approved blood tests for Alzheimer’s, increased research support, and continuing medical education to help primary care physicians more confidently diagnose dementia.
“Progress against Alzheimer’s depends on both science and support", said Stephens. "Without advocacy, the discoveries of tomorrow may never leave the lab bench.”
