Meryl Comer is president and CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative, which promotes early diagnosis, virtual innovation challenges, m-health technologies and national public service campaigns like Geoffrey Beene’s Rock Stars of Science™. Full Bio…
MERYL COMER Interviews JONATHAN KOZOL
July 29, 2015, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s AlzTalks
Some people say once a person has Alzheimer’s, he or she becomes a stranger, losing the pieces of his or her personality we knew and loved before. But when Dr. Harry Kozol, a respected psychiatrist and neurologist, was diagnosed, his son Jonathan Kozol was struck by his father’s resilience and learned to connect with him during the various stages of decline.
Living With Alzheimer’s, as a Patient and a Caregiver
July 23, 2015, The Takeaway with John Hockenberry
More than five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and 15.5 million Americans are currently caring for them.
A new drug might provide some hope for those showing very early symptoms of the disease. This week at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly released new data on a drug that seems to prevent the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain—the type of plaques many doctors believe are tied to Alzheimer’s….
The Best Medicine: Love in the Name of Alzheimer’s
June 9, 2015, The Best Medicine Radio
The Best Medicine is a radio show and podcast that uses story-telling to shed light on medicine through a new prism. The show considers medical conditions not only as biological science, but as a shared human experience, a source of compassion, and a well of hope.
The Best Medicine is a production of WKCR 89.9 FM and WKCR HD-1, Columbia University in the City of New York.
A2A Alliance Spotlight: Meryl Comer
June 7, 2015, The A2A Alliance
A2A feature on Meryl Comer as heard on KCBS Radio: A2A Founder Jeff Bell talks with author Meryl Comer about her commitment to helping families, like hers, impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease and her new memoir, Slow Dancing with a Stranger.
Larchmont Public Library Highlights “Brainspan-Lifespan Connection: Alzheimer’s Challenge”
May 3, 2015, Larchmont Public Library
Watch highlights from Meryl’s Larchmont Public Library speech, featuring Dr. Richard Isaacson and Max Lugavere
2015 World Medical Innovation Forum: New Leaders at the Table
April 28, 2015, World Medical Innovation Forum
Hope for near-term change in CNS diseases lies not just with government and industry, but also with American philanthropy. In the face of fiscal stress on government budgets, family and disease foundations are committing substantial resources to help find cures for nearly all CNS diseases. Some of the most successful philanthropic entrepreneurs describe their approach, challenges and rewards. They also examine how peer-to-peer fundraising—and the Ice Bucket Challenge, in particular—has helped change the American donation landscape.
ADDF Great Ladies Award
April 15, 2015, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
This year’s Luncheon & Fashion Show honored Emmy-Award winning journalist and author Meryl Comer. Comer’s New York Time’s bestseller, “Slow Dancing with a Stranger,” details her painful experience caring for her husband, who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Accepting her award, Comer said, “I fight for everyone who is well. I fight for all women because I want better options for them. And I fight because I don’t want my great grandchildren asking how their grandparent could forget them.”
NIH/NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit 2015: Empowering Patients, Engaging Citizens
February 10, 2015, National Institutes of Health
The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit 2015: Path to Treatment and Prevention was held February 9-10, 2015.
The Summit was convened by the National Institute on Aging at NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with private support through the Foundation for the NIH.
See more at: https://www.nia.nih.gov/about/events/2014/alzheimers-disease-research-summit-2015#sthash.s1o79LsT.dpuf
Meryl Comer Holiday Interview on One Life Radio
December 16, 2014, One Life Radio
Bernadette Fiaschetti interviews Meryl Comer.
Meryl Comer at Books and Books
December 10, 2014, Books and Books
Meryl Comer at Books and Books on 12/10/14 discussing her New York Times bestselling, Slow Dancing Wtih a Stranger. With special guest, Robert Levine, Professor and Chair of Department of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University.
Brain Matter for the New GOP Congress | Commentary
November 25, 2014, Rollcall.com
Nothing better reflects a mashup of neglected issues than the designation of November as national recognition month for Alzheimer’s Awareness, Family Caregivers, Home Care and Long-Term Care. No significant headway has been made on any of these fronts — from sorely underfunded research on this fatal neurodegenerative disease, to caregivers as the “second victim,” to the bankrupting financial health consequences for families and society.
Meryl Receives DR. HERBERT WERTHEIM GLOBAL MEDICAL LEADERSHIP AWARD at Florida International University Sapphire Gala
November 19, 2014, Florida International University
The Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) held its second Sapphire Celebration Gala on Saturday, November 1, at the Trump National Doral Miami, in support of the physicians of tomorrow. The event brought together more than 500 of South Florida’s medical, business, philanthropic, and civic leaders who raised more than $330K for student scholarships.
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Human Brain
November 17, 2014, Partnering for Cures Conference, NYC
Having decoded the human genome and begun to crack the code of cancer cells in some small measure, medicine is turning its attention to perhaps the greatest puzzle of all – the functioning of the human brain. Diseases of the central nervous system, from Alzheimer’s to autism to mental illnesses, are now the focus of the greatest number of start-ups and mergers and acquisition activity, surpassing interest in oncology.
A Candid Conversation About Alzheimer’s
November 14, 2014, Florida International University
New York Times best-selling author, Meryl Comer visited the Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU HWCOM) on October 31 to discuss her new book, Slow Dancing with a Stranger, the painful and very personal story of her and her husband’s battle with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
One Life Radio Interview
November 7, 2014, One Life Radio
Bernadette Fiaschetti interviews Meryl Comer.
Alone Together
When a Spouse Develops Alzheimer’s Disease, the Painful Goodbye Can Last Decades
October / November 2014, AARP The Magazine
The man I live with is not the man I fell in love with and married. My physician husband, with his athletic torso and steely blue eyes, has slowly been robbed of something we all take for granted: the ability to navigate the mundane activities of daily living—bathing, shaving, dressing and using the bathroom.
Focus Washington with Chuck Conconi welcomes Meryl Comer
October 21, 2014, Focus Washington with Chuck Conconi
Focus Washington with Chuck Conconi welcomes Meryl Comer to talk about her New York Times Bestselling book, “Slow Dancing With A Stranger.”
Dr. Stanley Terman on Meryl Comer and Slow Dancing with a Stranger
October 16, 2014, San Diego Dementia Consortium
Dr. Stanley Terman talks about Meryl Comer’s “Slow Dancing With A Stranger” at the San Diego Dementia Consortium on October 16, 2014.
Best Selling Science Books
October 13, 2014, The New York Times
The titles ranked here are selected by the science editors from all adult nonfiction books reported to The New York Times for the month. These titles are fundamentally based on the sciences; those for which science is more tangential or peripheral are generally excluded. Rankings reflect combined print and e-book sales for September 2014. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders.
A version of this list appears in print on October 14, 2014, on page D6 of the New York edition.
Meryl Comer on AARP & Global CEOi Panel
October 10, 2014, AARPInternational, Global CEOi Panel
Meryl Comer at the AARPInternational, Global CEOi panel, “Changing the Global Care for Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” on October 10, 2014.
MERYL COMER speaks at Digital Advocacy Institute/ Lilly 2014 Annual Conference
October 8, 2014, Digital Advocacy Institute
KEYNOTE: Disease Advocates Go Digital – Shaking Up The Science and The Status Quo.
WUSA9: Author talks about book, Alzheimer’s experience
October 6, 2014, WUSA9
Meryl Comer found out her husband had early onset Alzheimer’s.
Meryl Comer at NIH 1st Brain Initiative Awards Press Briefing
September 30, 2014, NIH Press Breifing
Meryl Comer speaks at the National Institute of Health’s first Brain Initiative Awards press briefing on September 30, 2014.
Book Discussion on Slow Dancing with a Stranger
September 20, 2014, C-SPAN2 > Book TV
Meryl Comer talked about her book, Slow Dancing with a Stranger: Lost and Found in the Age of Alzheimer’s, in which she reports on the effects of Alzheimer’s, the degenerative brain disease that affects 5.4 million Americans and 44 million people globally. In the book, the author recounts her husband’s diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 58 and the two decades of care she provided for him from their home.
Maria Shriver Blog Post
Am I Repeating Myself? A Baby Boomer’s Angst About Alzheimer’s
September 18, 2014, MariaShriver.com
The following is an excerpt from Meryl Comer’s recently released book Slow Dancing with a Stranger.
I think most people are worried about their own risk if they have seen Alzheimer’s in their family. I worry all the time. When I walk up the steps to retrieve something and pause to try to remember what it was, I fear that I have begun to slip. When I mistakenly walk out without my house keys or misplace my jewelry or money tucked away for safekeeping, I panic. Is this the beginning?
News FOX 5 DC WTTG – Slow Dancing with a Stranger Author Discusses Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
September 18, 2014, FOX 5 DC
MERYL COMER discusses her new book, Slow Dancing With A Stranger, on News Fox 5 DC. September 18, 2014.
Meryl Comer on the Marilu Henner Show
September 9, 2014, The Marilu Henner Show
Marilu Henner Interviews Meryl Comer on September 9, 2014, on the Marilu Henner Show (http://www.marilushow.com/), about her New York Times Bestselling book, “Slow Dancing with a Stranger.”
Washington Post Article
Maryland woman pens the story of the ordeal of her husband’s Alzheimer’s
August 30, 2014, The Washington Post
Meryl Comer’s husband vanished more than a decade ago. Yet she has remained at his side, caring for him night and day as he drifted into the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease.
The story of how Comer, an Emmy Award-winning former broadcast journalist who lives in Kensington, Md., became just as much a victim of Alzheimer’s disease as her husband is unusual but not unique — which is why she has pushed to make it public.
The Diane Rehm Show
“Meryl Comer: “Slow Dancing With A Stranger: Lost And Found In The Age Of Alzheimer’s”
August 25, 2014, The Diane Rehm Show
Alzheimer’s disease affects a reported 36 million people worldwide. But Meryl Comer had never heard of it when her husband was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at age 58. The award-winning journalist gave up her television career to take care of him at home — for nearly two decades. In a new book, she details her life as a caregiver: the struggle to get a diagnosis, the emotional and financial hardships and the limitations of long-term facilities. She says public conversation about the disease should be about earlier diagnosis, so our brain span can match our lifespan. Diane talks with Meryl Comer about her husband’s battle with Alzheimer’s.
