SEPTEMBER WEBINAR
Brain Health in Our Communities: From Early Conversations to Early Detection & Access
AlzInColor Webinar (September 24, 2026)
In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, join AlzInColor and the Organization for Latino Health Advocacy (OLHA) on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 7 PM to 8 PM EDT for a special Spanish-language conversation focused on brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, and the experiences and needs of Latino families and communities.
Featuring leading experts from the Latino community, “Brain Health in Our Communities: From Early Conversations to Early Detection & Access” will explore how to start conversations about brain health and family history, support healthy brain aging, recognize potential warning signs, and understand why early detection and an accurate diagnosis matter.
We’ll also discuss culturally responsive care, Latino representation in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trials, and policies such as the ASAP and AADAPT Acts. Whether you’re an individual, family member, caregiver, healthcare provider, or community leader, you’ll leave with practical information, tools, and resources to help you take action and share what you’ve learned with others.
Register Now for the September Webinar and Secure Your Spot!
Agenda Highlights:
- START THE CONVERSATION – Learn how to make brain health and family history part of everyday conversations at home, in the community, and with healthcare providers.
- SUPPORT YOUR BRAIN HEALTH – Explore everyday habits that can support healthy brain aging, including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and other lifestyle choices.
- RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS & ACT EARLY – Understand memory and thinking changes that should not be dismissed as “just getting older,” and how earlier evaluation and diagnosis can help families plan, access support, and explore treatment options.
- ADVANCE RESEARCH & REPRESENTATION – Discover why Latino participation in Alzheimer’s research and clinical trials matters and how greater representation can help improve understanding and care for our communities.
- TURN KNOWLEDGE INTO ACTION – Learn about the ASAP and AADAPT Acts, explore practical AlzInColor resources such as the Family History Questionnaire and Brain Health Quiz, and leave equipped to advocate for earlier conversations, testing, and culturally responsive care.
Moderator & Featured Speakers:
Our special guest moderator and featured speakers bring expertise in brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, aging, research, and the experiences of Latino communities:
Moderator: Sabrina Lopez – Co-Founder & Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Communications, Organization for Latino Health Advocacy (OLHA)
Speaker: Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, PhD – Neurologist and Professor at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio
Speaker: María P. Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW – Executive Director, USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging
Sabrina Lopez – Co-Founder & Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Communications, Organization for Latino Health Advocacy (OLHA)
Sabrina Lopez is a bicultural advocate for equitable healthcare and the Co-Founder and Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Communications at the Organization for Latino Health Advocacy. Along with her fellow co-founders, she seeks to help amplify underrepresented voices and drive meaningful changes in health access and outcomes for multicultural, underserved, and underrepresented communities. With more than 20 years of experience in business development, media, and communications, including leadership roles at NBCUniversal, Telemundo, and Univision, she also works as a Spanish/English translator and interpreter focused on healthcare and health advocacy. Sabrina earned her B.S. in Biology-Chemistry from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana and went on to medical studies in Argentina. Like many Latinos and foreign-born residents in the U.S., she moves daily between two languages and two cultures. She’s a daughter, a mother, a sister, a spouse, and a friend. She believes every family and every person deserves healthcare in the language they are most comfortable in, delivered with cultural understanding, and within reach.
Gabriel de Erausquin, MD, PhD – Neurologist and Professor at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio
Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin is a physician-scientist board-certified in neurology and psychiatry and a Distinguished Professor at the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, UT Health San Antonio. Trained at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and Washington University, he leads NIH-funded research on how COVID-19 and gene–environment interactions affect cognitive decline in diverse older adults across the United States and South America, and directs a program training Indigenous Quechua neuroscientists in Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.
María P. Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW – Executive Director, USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging
Dr. María P. Aranda is a social work scholar with joint appointments in Gerontology and Neurology at the University of Southern California and Executive Director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. Her research centers on Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and psychosocial interventions for older adults and family caregivers, with a focus on health disparities in Latino communities. She developed the first Spanish-language support group for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and co-leads community outreach and recruitment for USC’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
AlzInColor Community Advisory Board Members
Jeanette Contreras
Organization for Latino Health Advocacy (OLHA)
Washington, DC Metro Area
Dr. Bashir Easter, PhD
Melanin Minded, LLC
Texas
Oya Gilbert
Health, Hope & Hip-Hop Foundation
Delaware
Gina Haynes-Sanders
Community Liaison
Lexington, KY & Washington, DC Metro Area
Dr. Michelle Jackson, PhD
Black Women Inflammation and Tau Study (BWITS) at UC San Diego
Southern California
Jacquelyn Lee
Frankfort/Lexington (KY) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated
Frankfort/Lexington, KY
Daryl Love
Everent Health
Kentucky
Pastor Joseph Owens
Shiloh Baptist Church
Lexington, KY
Robert Reid
Black Dementia Minds
Georgia
Dr. Mayra Sainz, PhD
Public Health Research
Georgia
Janay “J Smiles” Smith
Parenting UP!
Atlanta, GA
Cheryl Teare
Washington (DC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated
Washington, DC
Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, PhD
Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland School of Public Health
Health Advocates In-Reach and Research Campaign (HAIR)
Maryland
Rev. Dr. Jim Thurman
Zion Baptist Church
Paris, KY
This Event is Presented By:
© 2026 AlzInColor. All Rights Reserved.