Invitation From the Chair Dear Colleagues: As returning Chair of the Dementia Congress, I am very pleased to invite you to the 2008 Congress, which is the seventh in this annual series of uniquely structured and highly stimulating meetings. Once again, I am looking forward to working with a carefully selected faculty of internationally recognized experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias. Together, this panel of experts in research and clinical approaches to dementia will provide the most current information and opinion on the diagnosis, pathophysiology, treatment, and social impact of AD. The meeting uses a 3-track structure to best match audience needs, faculty expertise, and practical considerations. Our curriculum consists of general sessions followed by specialized lecture courses and patient case discussions focused toward meeting the different learning needs of primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and neurologists, as well as other members of the primary care team, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This track system has been very well received in the past and is now a hallmark of the Dementia Congress. It creates a collegial forum in which cutting-edge data are combined with practical clinical pearls tailored to meet the needs of each specialty group. In addition to the general sessions and individual track breakouts, the Seventh Annual Dementia Congress plans to include a variety of other learning experiences, including a keynote address and faculty case study challenge. Taken together, these activities provide many opportunities for attendees to interact with recognized experts and colleagues from other practice specialties. All content is certified, and participants will be eligible to earn up to 10.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Previous Dementia Congress meetings have been characterized by a sense of optimism about our increasing ability to identify those at risk, diagnose the disease in its earliest stages, and provide meaningful care to patients with dementia and their families. Recurring setbacks in the development of new therapies reinforce the need for strong clinical understanding of the disease states that cause dementia as well as the strengths and weaknesses of available therapeutic approaches. Effective treatment of AD remains an urgent matter. AD is the third most expensive illness to treat in the United States, costing over $100 billion annually. More important, dementia is already a major public health problem, involving over 5 million older Americans. It will become a public health crisis if it remains unchecked by mid-century, when the number of people with dementia is expected to nearly triple to 13.2 million. While there have been many recent advances in understanding AD, the rapidly accumulating data can be difficult to interpret. One goal of the Congress is to provide clinicians with the background to integrate emerging scientific information into a coherent framework to enhance practice and optimize patient outcomes. Like those before it, the Seventh Annual Dementia Congress provides an interactive forum that will enable clinicians to remain conversant with state-of-the-art dementia research and therapy in 2008. Very sincerely yours, David S. Geldmacher, MD Dementia Congress Chair