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Edward G. Shaw, MD, MA, is dually trained as a physician and mental health counselor. He was the primary care partner for his late wife, Rebecca, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2007 at age 53 and died in 2016 after a 9-year journey. Ed was a practicing academic radiation oncologist for 23 years, specializing in the treatment of adults and children with brain cancer. In 2010, inspired by Rebecca’s journey, his medical interest shifted to dementia diagnosis and treatment, and with his additional training in mental health counseling, he founded the Memory Counseling Program in 2011, part of the Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine and the Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The program serves individuals, couples, and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia.

He is the author of four books. Along with coauthors Deborah Barr and Dr. Gary Chapman, he wrote Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer’s Journey, which describes his moving personal story of care for Rebecca coupled with an innovative use of the 5 love languages in dementia counseling. He also wrote The Dementia Care Partner’s Workbook, a support group manual and self-study guide for dementia care partners, providing understanding, education, and hope for the long journey of dementia caregiving from diagnosis through end-of-life. He has also co-authored two resources for support group leaders, A Leader’s Manual for Dementia Care Partner Support Groups and A Support Group for People Living with Dementia: The Leaders Manual.

Dr. Shaw now devotes more time to public speaking, educating, and encouraging seniors, people living with dementia and their care partners, and medical/mental health/other healthcare professionals working in the fields of aging and dementia. He is also a part-time geriatric mental health counselor at New Salem Counseling in Winston-Salem and a Сòòò½ÊÓƵ speaker for many years, on a variety of topics related to geriatrics and dementia.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Edward Shaw has an employment relationship with New Salem Counseling and receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Сòòò½ÊÓƵ. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Edward Shaw is a member of American Counseling Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Christina Soriano, MFA, is the Vice Provost for the Arts and Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Wake Forest University and a professor of dance. Since 2012, Christina has regularly taught a community dance class in Winston-Salem, NC to people living with Parkinson’s Disease and their care partners and has been involved in three scientific studies that look at the ways dance can help with quality of life, mobility and balance of people living with neurodegenerative disease. She has received funding from the National Parkinson Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, and the National Institutes of Health, with Dr. Christina Hugenschmidt, with whom she regularly collaborates on this work.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Christina Soriano has employment relationships with Reynolds Professor of Dance and Professor of Dance. She received grants from National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Luce Foundation Grant. Christina Soriano receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Сòòò½ÊÓƵ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Christina Soriano has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Christina Hugenschmidt, PhD, MS, LCMHC, is a mental health counselor and neuroscientist. Her experiences in clinical practice led her to question how support groups can be used to improve brain health. She began working with the Memory Counseling Program (MCP) after joining Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine and the Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention at Health/Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem North Carolina in 2012 and was recently appointed MCP director following Dr. Shaw’s retirement. Her experiences leading and developing a support group for people with dementia have profoundly shaped how she views dementia and her research into how positive experiences like this group can support the well-being of people living with dementia and their care partners. Her research uses brain imaging to explore how common aging-related changes in the body, such as mobility, obesity and diabetes affect brain health, and how these effects on the brain can be modified by everyday lifestyle, like engaging in exercise and arts practices.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Christina Hugenschmidt has an employment relationship with Wake Forest School of Medicine. She is a reviewer for training grants with the American Federation for Aging Research. Christina Hugenschmidt receives a grants from the NIH/NIA. She receives a speaking honorarium from Сòòò½ÊÓƵ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Christina Hugenschmidt is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, the American Diabetes Association, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Obesity Society. She is a reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact Сòòò½ÊÓƵ.

Samantha Culler, MSW, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical director for the memory counseling program at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC. She has provided mental health counseling for people with progressive and chronic health conditions since 2016, after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Prior to entering a career in mental health, Samantha worked in clinical research, where her desire to provide mental health counseling to people living with chronic health conditions started. She is a strengths-based therapist who has a desire to help people live fully at all stages of life. Samantha provides individual, couple, and family counseling for those on the dementia journey as well as leading a support group for people living with dementia.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Samantha Culler has an employment relationship with Wake Forest Health Sciences and receives royalties from Empath Education. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Сòòò½ÊÓƵ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Samantha Culler has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Marinda Freeman, MSW, LCSW, licensed clinical social worker, currently providing trauma-focused counseling at Family Services Inc. of Forsyth County. She provides individual, family and group support to the clients she serves. While completing her master’s in social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, marina interned at the Memory Counseling Program at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC. Her experience with the Memory Counseling Program included the implementation of positive therapeutic techniques by providing emotional support, specifically mental health counseling for persons with dementia, as well as their care partners both individually and in group settings. Marinda’s passion for this population grew rapidly and she was inspired to develop a support group curriculum for people living with dementia to help improve their quality of life, honor autonomy and provide a safe space to openly talk about their diagnosis. Marinda is dedicated to her work and is a strong advocate for those who struggle with mental health challenges.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Marinda Freeman has an employment relationship with the Family Services Inc. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Сòòò½ÊÓƵ. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Marinda Freeman has no relevant non-financial relationships.