The International Association for Indigenous Aging team, including Bill Benson, Molita Yazzie (Dine’), Breana Dorame (Gabrielino-Tongva), and Mary Ann OMeara, attended the Dementia Risk Reduction Summit in Atlanta, Georgia (May 16 – 17, 2023). 
This first-ever Dementia Risk Reduction Summit explored how public health can address the risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia across the public health prevention spectrum: from working in partnerships and with health systems to addressing community education and workplace practices. The conference was sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Summit identified what public health agencies at the state, local and tribal level can do to address dementia risk factors across the public health prevention spectrum. Sessions focused on how public health can act to address modifiable risk factors and social determinants of health for dementia by strengthening individual knowledge and skill, promoting community education, educating health systems and providers, fostering coalitions and partnerships, changing organizational practice, and by influencing policy and legislation.
Our Director of Tribal Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Projects, Molita Yazzie, M.Sc., M.H.S (Dine’), had the opportunity to present. Her presentation covered the various activities and information resources created as part of the 5-year U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded cooperative agreement that establishes IA2 as a national hub for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) information resources serving Indian country. Others on the panel included the Chair, Benjamin Shaw, PhD University of Illinois Chicago; Chelsea Ridley, MPH, State of Tennessee; Gina Green-Harris, MBA, University of Wisconsin; Daniela Friedman, PhD. University of South Carolina.
The International Association for Indigenous Aging was also excited to see and meet in person with many of our Brain Health Advisory Group members, including Ian Kremer, Tiffany Robb, Talyah Sands, Leslie Best, Eva Jackson, Chandra Wilson, Jennifer Carson, and Mike Splaine.
The team had a great time learning and connecting with others at the Dementia Risk Reduction Summit!
