Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease. Those with loved ones suffering from it would do just about anything for a cure. Texas Children’s executives Dan Gollins and Paige Schulz are two such people with intimate connections to Alzheimer’s.
Dan’s grandfather and mother both fought courageous battles. After 14 long years, his mother lost her fight at just 64 years old. His family has committed to supporting those in research, and his father sat on the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association in Tampa up until 2019. Dan himself now serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston chapter.
Paige lost her mother to Alzheimer’s in 2020. Finding herself a member of the sandwich generation, caring for an ailing parent while raising elementary school aged children, she was struck by how challenging it was to navigate the health care system with this disease. She and her family support the research done at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI), which gives them hope for the future in finding meaningful therapeutics and one day, a cure.
The Alzheimer’s Association has been an important supporter of research at the Duncan NRI and Baylor Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative disease. Together, the team is leading initiatives to transform Alzheimer’s disease care, integrating genetic risk predictions and more targeted, precise medicine strategies. The effort brings together clinicians, computer scientists, and basic and translational investigators to tackle this complex disease from multiple angles, drawing important lessons from our success at solving pediatric disorders.
Texas Children’s is proudly sponsoring the Kid’s Zone at the upcoming 2024 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease. This event will be held on Saturday, November 9, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and will start at Lynn Eusan Park on the UH Campus (4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77004). If you are interested in joining a walk team, please sign up here.
This year, anyone who signs up by October 15 will receive a free custom walk T-shirt with the Duncan NRI logo and the tag line, “Solving the unsolvable.”
There will also be a kick-off event on October 18 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., which will be held in the NRI 7th floor conference center reception space. During the event, recent Baylor College of Medicine recipients of Alzheimer’s Association research funding will be recognized. Over the years, this generous support has promoted critical research at the DNRI and across BCM, uncovering key mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease, highlighting promising drug targets and bringing us closer to new therapies for Alzheimer’s and related causes of dementias.
Join the team for the kick-off event on October 18 to celebrate these important contributions and reaffirm our commitment to Alzheimer’s research, and on November 9, unite with TCH colleagues for a spirited Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease.