Join us at this special event to fund groundbreaking research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  Every day, the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s moves one step closer to stopping the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Consistently ranked among the top ten causes of death in the U.S. and the state of Wisconsin, the call to action for our researchers, physicians and network of advocates is clear. We must end Alzheimer’s. Together we can change the way our patients, their families, and caregivers experience Alzheimer’s today and in the future. 

Sanjay Asthana, MD, is an internationally acclaimed physician-scientist with widely acknowledged expertise in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aging research. He is Associate Dean for Gerontology and Director of the NIH-funded Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). Funded continuously by NIH and VA for over 25 years, Dr. Asthana has pioneered the field of estrogen treatment for AD and age-related cognitive changes, and has conducted several prominent clinical trials of potential new treatments for AD.  He oversees a large research program in dementia with a special focus on antecedent biomarkers of preclinical stages of AD.  Under Dr. Asthana’s leadership, the Wisconsin ADRC has attained international prominence and launched new programs in health disparities, social determinants of health, and community-based participatory research. Dr. Asthana has published over 350 peer-reviewed papers to date and has either chaired or served as a member of over 100 NIH study sections to review federal grants related to dementia, cognition, and aging research.

Dr. Cindy Carlsson is the Director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute. She is a geriatrician at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where she treats veterans with dementia and memory issues. Dr. Carlsson is a faculty member of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine and a Louis A. Holland, Sr., Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Disease. She serves as the Clinical Core leader and a co-leader for the Biomarker Core in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; and she is a recipient of a University of Wisconsin Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship. Dr. Carlsson is a member of the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA) Alzheimer’s Disease Centers Clinical Core Steering Committee and Clinical Task Force, and chairs several NIH/NIA research review committees.

Paul Braun, radio voice for Wisconsin Women’s Hockey team

For more than 50 year’s Paul Braun has been involved with broadcasting sports in Wisconsin and beyond. Best known as the legendary play-by-play announcer for University of Wisconsin hockey, Paul’s signature call – Shot and a goal – has echoed through generations of Badger Fans. Paul covered five NCAA National championships for Men’s hockey, and One Women’s Frozen Four championship. He also played a key role in establishing statewide tape-delay broadcasts of Badger hockey, a tradition that lasted over 20 years. Paul was also involved with play-b y-play coverage of the prestigious Minnesota High School Hockey tournament that annually draws almost 100,000 fans each year.  His other play-by-play broadcasts covered Badger Football and Basketball. He also did free-lance assignments for ESPN, Midwest Sports Channel, and Fox Sports North.  Paul retired from broadcasting to take care of his wife Karen who developed Alzheimer’s disease. She died in 2015 which has inspired Braun to become a tireless advocate for Alzheimer’s awareness. He has co-hosted the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s and supports the UW-Madison Initiative to End Alzheimer’s.

Mike Heller, Sports-Radio host of “The Mike Heller Show”

Mike Heller is a radio host in the Madison, WI area. He hosts The Mike Heller Show on 1070 in Madison and 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee. The show covers Wisconsin sports, including the Badgers, Packers, and Brewers. Mike is also a pre-game host on the Green Bay Packers Radio Network as well as the Badger Football Radio Network.  Mike has been a radio broadcaster since 2003.  Mike and his wife also own and operate Red & White Wine Bar in Waunakee.

Matt Lepay, radio voice for the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball and Football teams

Since 1994, Matt Lepay has been known as the Voice of the Badgers for both UW football and men’s basketball and has called key games on Wisconsin radio stations for a generation. Lepay joined WTSO-AM in 1988, where he was the play-by-play voice for UW basketball as well as a sports anchor and reporter. He was named Sports Director in 1989, and when Learfield acquired the rights to UW broadcasts in 1994, he added Badgers football to his play-by-play duties. That same year, the broadcasts moved to WIBA-AM and WIBA-FM in Madison and have been there ever since. Fans in Milwaukee also hear the games on WRNW-FM.  In his career, Lepay has called five Big Ten football championships, six Rose Bowl games, and three NCAA Final Four appearances. For eight seasons, he also served as a television play-by-play announcer for selected Milwaukee Brewers games.

Lepay and his wife Linda have dedicated themselves to the University of Wisconsin- Madison’s Initiative to End Alzheimer’s, a cause in which they have been actively involved.

Brian Posick, radio voice for Wisconsin Men’s Hockey team

24 seasons radio play-by-play voice of Wisconsin Hockey. 10 seasons TV play-by-play for Wisconsin Hockey. 8 seasons radio play-by-play voice of Wisconsin Women’s Basketball. 31 years Sports Director/morning anchor WIBA/WTSO Radio-Madison.