The UT Center at Laredo Can Help Lead a New Era of Alzheimer’s Research

The University of Texas System is positioning Laredo to become a major hub for Alzheimer’s research and treatment with the establishment of a dementia care and research clinic as part of the The University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo. A burgeoning multi-institution educational center and only one of its kind for Texas, the UT Center at Laredo facilitates a range of UT System health-related degree programs – from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) , UT Health San Antonio , The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley , The University of Texas at San Antonio and soon The University of Texas Medical Branch – to the region.

The dementia care and research clinic is a significant development for a community that is 96% Hispanic, as Alzheimer's Association? research shows that Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s and other dementia than non-Hispanic whites.

To that end, the UT Center at Laredo recently hosted an in-depth roundtable during which local, state and national leaders – including experts from multiple UT health institutions – explored the potential to transform South Texas and drive significant research and advancements in prevention, early detection and treatment.

The only multi-institution teaching center in Texas. The only dementia care clinic in Laredo.

Partnering with UT Health San Antonio and its Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the UT Center at Laredo’s dementia care clinic is the only one of its kind in the region, a fitting match as the Biggs Institute is the only National Institute on Aging (NIA) -designated Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in the state. The clinic is staffed by UT Health San Antonio physicians and offers comprehensive patient care and clinical trial opportunities "closer to home."

And this is only the beginning. "We saw the commitment of such a wide variety of people, which is what you need to be able to provide the kind of comprehensive care and support umbrella that patients and families need,” Biggs Institute Founding Director Sudha Seshadri , M.D., shared of the roundtable and her hope for the future.