BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center will be renamed for Frances Gorrie after a $10 million gift from the Gorrie family, money university officials say will expand clinical trials, specialist training and dementia care outreach as Alabama’s aging population faces a growing Alzheimer’s burden.
“Alzheimer’s disease has touched far too many families, including people I care deeply about,” Miller Gorrie, founder of Brasfield & Gorrie, said. “Supporting UAB’s work is my way of honoring those journeys and helping move us closer to better treatments, more hope and, one day, a cure.”
The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the renaming of the center, which was established in 1991 and is part of UAB’s Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine.
The gift will support the Frances Gorrie Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s work in research, patient care, education and community outreach. UAB officials said the money will help the center increase Alzheimer’s-related clinical trials, expand fellowship opportunities for future cognitive neurology specialists and create endowed faculty positions to help recruit and retain experts in the field.
It also will support the Alabama Memory and Alzheimer’s Network, an effort to train caregivers, connect families with resources and strengthen coordination among UAB, primary care doctors and local care groups.
More than 103,600 Alabama residents live with Alzheimer’s disease, according to figures included in UAB’s announcement. Nationally, more than 7 million people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a number projected to rise sharply as the population ages.
UAB President Ray Watts said the gift will accelerate research, support young investigators and help lead to new treatments for patients and families.
The Gorrie family has previously supported UAB athletics, engineering, neurological research and other university initiatives.