Dr. Hascup at work in the lab

Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer's Research and Treatment

Since 2018, the Smith Alzheimer's Center has garnered more than $7.2 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment at SIU Medicine provides clinical care, research and community programs throughout Illinois. Since 1986, its employees have diagnosed, treated and educated Illinois families with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. In the past year, the center, along with its Memory and Aging Network, has served more than 4,000 patients and their families. Learn more about our mission.

RESEARCH, PATIENT CARE

Gift offers renewed hope

A major gift to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine will transform the health care of people throughout Illinois and beyond. Dale and Deborah Smith recently donated a substantial financial gift to the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders at SIU Medicine to expand research, enhance programming and improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and assist their caregivers.

Learn more

PATIENT CARE

Beyond the Medical Center

While the researchers at the Smith Alzheimer’s Center investigate new and better ways to prevent, slow, and cure dementia-related diseases, our team is caring for and supporting patients and their families through free, therapeutic, evidence-based programs to improve quality of life.

These programs are designed not only for those with Alzheimer’s, using creativity through art, music, exercise and more, but also for the individuals caring for them, equipping family caregivers with resources and skills. 

Dementia Caregiving 101

Art Express

Minds in Motion

Music and Memory

Stepping Up

Elderly man smiling
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Your support makes a difference

From evidence-based programs supporting patients and their families to ongoing research dedicated to finding ways to slow progression of the disease to training the next generations of dementia care specialists, the Dale and Deborah Smith Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment has big ideas, big hearts and big goals. Your gift impacts our communities and supports our vision of better health for all.

Donate

An ally for caregivers

Alzheimer's disease impacts not just the diagnosed individual, but their entire network and especially their caregiver. Here at the Smith Alzheimer's Center at SIU Medicine, we know how crucial support for caregivers is toward ensuring the best possible treatment for patients. Ann Jirmasek, LPC, shares how the Smith Alzheimer's Center can help provide that thoughtful attention for not only the person with memory loss, but their caregiver as well in this Medicine Minute.

Hascup Lab

Volunteer for a clinical trial

The Smith Alzheimer's Center conducts cutting-edge investigational interventions through clinical trials offered here at SIU Medicine. See how you can volunteer for a trial and be a part of helping find better and more effective treatments for Alzheimer's.

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Meet our team

Advancing care through research

Latest news

Cell sensescence

Going on the offensive: The potential link between cell senescence and Alzheimer's

When you catch a cold or cut your finger, the immune system begins the healing process by clearing damaged cells. As we age, that process weakens. Health problems linger as immune systems aren’t quite as robust as they once were, whether it’s fighting bacteria, viruses, or cancer cells. Alzheimer’s researchers are now exploring a process called senescent cell accumulation to see if it could be detrimental.
Art Express

Art Express receives donation to help those with dementia

Helping those with dementia express themselves through artistic creativity will flourish thanks to a recent donation.Art Express received a $3,000 donation from the 2023 Fat Ass 5K & Street Party for
Hascup Lab

ALS drug shows varying effects against Alzheimer’s, metabolism

Effects are unique between males and femalesA recent study from the Hascup labs at SIU Medicine has shown how riluzole, a drug compound typically used to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Black women at increased risk for Alzheimer’s

Intentional community outreach first step in addressing issueDespite having an increased prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Black women often face barriers to health care, leading to

Latest blog articles

Close up of Leica Microscope

Finding the starting line for Alzheimer's

Where should research start in solving Alzheimer's? That's a tricky question to answer. What exactly are researchers looking for when trying to solve the Alzheimer’s puzzle?“It depends on the
Aida Adlimoghaddam

Get to know Aida Adlimoghaddam, PhD

Aida Adlimoghaddam, PhD, joins the Hascup lab team at the Smith Alzheimer's Center in 2023 as a Research Assistant Professor. Most recently, she was the Senior Research Associate and Clinical
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5 surprising health benefits of sauna use

Sauna bathing has long been popular in Nordic countries and has become more popular in the United States in recent years. But while many people might think that sitting in a sauna is only good for
Alz

More than Alzheimer’s: Understanding types of dementia

For those unfamiliar with Alzheimer’s and dementia, asking them to list symptoms beyond memory loss may prove challenging. It’s understandable – a diagnosis of dementia can mean a whole host of