Dr. Marc Alderdice, PhD has worked in academia and with pharmaceutical companies, having even managed clinical trials for potential treatments of Alzheimer’s disease. Marc has also had to deal with the disease on a personal level when his wife, Mary, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. He learned the hard way that living with Alzheimer’s personally is much different and more difficult than studying it objectively. He takes us on Mary’s and his emotional journey and shows us how we can “dance” more and be happier no matter what life throws our way.

Dr. D'Esposito earned his medical degree from the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse and trained in Neurology at Boston University Medical Center. He investigates the neural mechanisms underlying cognition and how the brain recovers from injury. He has over 430 research publications cited over 80,000 times, has written and edited seven books, and has received numerous competitive NIH and private foundation research grants. He has trained over 80 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. He served as President of the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology, Chairman of the International Society for Human Brain Mapping, and the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. He was elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Art & Sciences, and received the Fred Kavli Distinguished Career Contributions Award from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society.

Dr. Kavanaugh is a Professor of Social Work and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), with a clinical expertise in caregiving across neurological conditions. Her research is global, focusing on the translational nature of care and building support program across language and culture for children and youth as caregivers “young carers.” She is an international leader in program development, including YCare, a multidisciplinary youth caregiving skills and support protocol for young carers in ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.  Dr. Kavanaugh is also president of Global Neuro YCare, an international non-profit, focused on developing language and culturally accessible programs and supports for children, youth, and families in neurological conditions around the globe.

Laura Wayman is known professionally as the Dementia Whisperer and is an accomplished keynote speaker, author, trainer, and a dedicated Gerontologist.  She has presented keynote speeches, workshops, in-services, classes, trainings and seminars up and down the west coast on the subject of Dementia Care. Her audiences have given her the highest evaluations, singing her praises months and even years after her compassionate presentations, which left them with a new sense of confidence, purpose and direction. 

Patricia is a Recreation Professional and Caregiving Consultant with over 22 years of experience supporting individuals and families in care-focused roles. Passionate about enhancing quality of life and specializes in creating engaging activities and personalized caregiving strategies to promote well-being for both caregivers and their loved ones. Her mission is to ensure that caregivers around the world feel seen, heard, and supported, so they can continue to provide the best care while nurturing their own mental health.