The Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona has received a $5 million gift from the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation to establish an Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, with the University of Arizona (UA) raising matching funds. Commitments for matching funds have been received from the Technology Research Infrastructure Fund (TRIF), the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, the Arizona Research Laboratories (ARL), the UA Vice President for Research, and the UA Colleges of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Medicine.
The University of Arizona Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute was officially established on November 1, 2006 as part of the Arizona Research Laboratories at the UA, with the formal Dedication Ceremony held on December 11, 2006. An Induction Ceremony was for the Evelyn F. McKnight Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging was also held on December 11, 2006. The University of Arizona is one of only four universities in the country to host a McKnight Brain Institute, joining the Universities of Florida, Alabama and Miami.
The objective of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute is to uncover the neurobiological changes in the brain that cause memory changes as we age, and to unravel which changes are due to normal aging and which are due to disease states. By understanding the age-related brain and behavioral changes associated with aging, it will be possible to develop research directions that will lead to practical recommendations for pharmacological and lifestyle interventions for maintenance of cognitive health throughout life. The Institute will identify and promote cross-disciplinary and collaborative research initiatives in support of its objective.
Photo by Mia Schnaible © 2006
Left to right: John G. Clarkson, M.D., J. Lee Dockery, M.D., Institute Director Carol Barnes, Ph.D., Nina Ellenbogan Raim, M.D., J.D., Mr. Hank Raattama, Jr., J.D., and Michael L. Dockery, M.D.