About the Smith Alzheimer's Center

Our mission is to integrate patient care, education, and research to better understand the biological aspects of aging, cognition, and neurodegenerative disorders allowing us to design innovative personalized care that addresses both the underlying symptoms and the disease leading to improved patient, family, and community outcomes. This is accomplished through careful integration of clinical health, analytical neuroscience and community engagement.

Clinical Health

Improving cognitive health of our community is accomplished by offering a full service Memory and Aging Clinic that provides memory and cognitive assessments, treatment, education, counseling services for patients and families, and access to cutting-edge investigational interventions through our clinical trials programs. Additionally, we also sponsor a Memory and Aging Network that allows us to support additional sites throughout central and southern Illinois.

Analytical Neuroscience

The area of analytical neuroscience includes internationally recognized research and is funded by both state and federal (NIH) grants, as well as philanthropic support. Our translational research through the labs led by Erin Hascup, PhD and Kevin Hascup, PhD, aims to determine the environmental and physiological risk factors, and their mechanisms, that contribute to memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. The long-term goal of our collaborative research is to improve patient outcomes through a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, behavior, and by identifying novel pharmacological, lifestyle, and environmental interventions and therapeutic targets.

Community Engagement

Community Engagement is crucial to our integrated care approach to treating memory loss and is accomplished through several Beyond the Medical Center programs intended to support patients, caregivers, and family members. Some of our offerings include support groups, movement and cognition improving courses, outlets for expression, and instructional courses to enhance knowledge surrounding memory loss and caregiving. We also connect with the general population, as well as clinical and scientific communities, by providing educational opportunities through conferences, symposiums, seminars, ECHO training for other providers, demonstrations, and community events.

We appreciate your partnership and the opportunity to serve you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Erin R. Hascup, Director