The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has officially opened a new facility that is aimed at advancing dementia research and treatment.
The 20,000 square foot center, located within the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital and called the UAB Brain Aging and Memory Hub, contains divisions in the school’s department of neurology, neuropsychology and cognitive and behavioral neurology. The center also includes an Alzheimer’s disease center and brain institute named after the late Evelyn F. McKnight, who was an advocate for dementia services and research.
The UAB Health System and the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine made the opening possible, the school noted.
The hub opened on April 19 to meet an increasing need for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, which are anticipated to increase by 70% in the next five years, according to David Geldmacher, director of the UAB division of cognitive and behavioral neurology.
“Many good research ideas emerge serendipitously,” Geldmacher told Senior Housing News. “When people with different training and insights work and learn together in a shared space, the opportunities for team-based learning and genuine innovation are enhanced.”
The center will focus on prevention, research and clinical care for cognitive decline. When fully staffed, the hub will have more than 60 employees, including neurologists, nurses and nurse practitioners, nurse care managers, pharmacy specialists, social workers and counselors.
Geldmacher added the facility is a “unique, integrated model” yet to be seen at other institutions.
In addition to serving as a center for research, the hub is meant to be a focal point for conferences and learning sessions that previously were held at multiple sites around UAB’s campus. The team behind the new hub is also seeking to add new cross-departmental programming, such as collaboration with the UAB Arts in Medicine program to develop gallery space. An artist in residence program is already underway.
Ronald Lazar, director of the Division of Neuropsychology and UAB Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, said the team at the hub wants to “promote brain health across people’s lifespans, not only once they hit 60,” according to a story on the facility opening.
Planning for the hub began in 2019 as UAB Neurology and Hospital leadership recognized the need for innovative care models to address the rapidly expanding population of older adults who are at risk for memory loss due to Alzheimer’s and related conditions, Geldmacher said.
“A task force with representatives from Neurology, Radiology, Pharmacy and UAB Medicine’s Ambulatory service leadership met to devise the care models, business plans and integration with research activities, and define the size and kind of space that would be needed to execute it,” Geldmacher said. “After some delays due to the pandemic, a major renovation of [around] 20,000 square feet was initiated in 2022 leading to the opening of the hub in 2024.”
Helping to drive the process was a great need in the local area for more Alzheimer’s research and treatment. As many as 80,000 people in Alabama are potentially living with early memory issues, and Alzheimer’s is No. 2 in Alabama’s state mortality rate.
