Kaarin Anstey is an ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. She conducts research in the fields of dementia epidemiology, dementia risk reduction, and older driver safety. She has developed evidence-based, freely available online dementia risk assessments that are used in clinical practice and research, including the recent CogDrisk. She has also led several dementia risk reduction trials using digital health approaches, and contributed to guidelines on dementia risk reduction.

Mr. Ryoji Noritake is the CEO, and Board Member of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), a Tokyo-based independent and non-profit health policy think tank established in 2004. He also served as Asia-Pacific Lead for Project HOPE, a US-based medical humanitarian aid organization. Through HOPE and HGPI, he has led health system strengthening projects in the Asia-Pacific region and engaged in the US Navy’s medical humanitarian projects.

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of The Netherlands with the collaboration of the World Dementia Council are hosting a high-level meeting on ‘Defeating Dementia’. The aim of the event is threefold:

• To discuss the challenges dementia poses to society and the urgency of this issue.

• To highlight the swift progress that could be made in care delivery, diagnosis and drug discovery.

• To agree on concrete actions to improve dementia care and to drive research forward, not least by increasing global public investment in dementia research.

The World Dementia Council has elected three new trustees, Professor Paulo Caramelli, Professor of Neurology, Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, Professor Miia Kivipelto, Professor in Clinical Geriatrics at Karolinska Institutet, center for Alzheimer Research in Sweden, and Dr Joanne Pike President and CEO Alzheimer’s Association in the United States.  

The World Dementia Council has appointed Niranjan Bose, Managing Director of Health & Life Sciences at Gates Ventures, Dr Howard Fillet co-founder and Chief Science Office of ADDF and Dr Joanne Pike, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association as new Council members. 

The World Dementia Council (WDC) elected Joanne Pike, Alzheimer’s Association president and chief executive officer (CEO) as its new vice chair. In this leadership role, Pike will advance the organisation’s global efforts to improve the lives of people affected by dementia.

Howard Fillit, MD, is a geriatrician, neuroscientist, and innovative philanthropy executive. He is currently the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer for the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and has led the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation since its founding. Dr. Fillit has held faculty positions at The Rockefeller University, the SUNY-Stony Brook School of Medicine and the Cornell University School of Medicine.

Niranjan Bose is the Managing Director for Health & Life Sciences at Gates Ventures, LLC, where he also serves as a Health & Life Sciences Advisor to Mr. Bill Gates. Gates Ventures' programmatic investments in the Alzheimer’s field include the AD Diagnostics Accelerator, Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), EQT Dementia Fund, AD Data Initiative and the European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EPND).  

Joanne Pike, DrPH, is president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, the global leader in Alzheimer's and dementia care, support and research. With her progressive experience in social support and public health, she is leading the organization during a transformational period. Novel treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s are emerging, and equitable access — as well as reaching all those affected with education and support — has never been more important.

The Government of Japan hosted a side event on dementia at the G7 Health Ministerial meeting, held in May in Nagasaki. The meeting was held in the convention centre on the morning of the second day ahead of the ministers meeting. A number of G7 ministerial spoke and re-iterated their commitment to make progress in the dementia field. The Ministerial Communique agreed later that day reflected that. You can read the Communique here.