22) #BlackHistoryMonth Stephanie J. Monroe

Stephanie J. Monroe is Vice President and Senior Advisor of Health Equity and Access at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s a national advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. She is a former Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights with three decades of federal policy experience. She brings this expertise to Alzheimer’s where she is a leading voice for communities of color in the Alzheimer’s awareness and research effort. She  directs African Americans Against Alzheimer’s, founded in 2013 and the first national network created specifically to respond to Alzheimer’s disease’s disparate impact on African Americans.African Americans Against Alzheimer’s is raising awareness of the impact of Alzheimer’s health disparities on communities of color and women, the need for greater minority participation in clinical trials to find better treatments and hopefully a cure, and the importance of all communities, especially those most at risk, to begin to focus on brain health and adopt risk reduction strategies that promote brain health and healthy aging.  Stephanie was instrumental in having an early preview of In Our Right Mind shown in Phoenix and I am forever indebted to the founder of Us Against Alzheimer’s George Vradenburg who provided invaluable seed money to launch our film. It takes a village.