Yvonne Troiani Sweeney \u201978 always had passion for the well-being of her patients. She dedicated her life to her nursing career that spanned 30 years after earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) and a graduate degree in nursing from Villanova.\u00a0Her colleagues and patients became her second family. Nursing led her to leadership roles at what is now the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Franklin Square Hospital in Maryland, Albert Einstein Medical Center, and the Geisinger Health System. Wherever her occupation led her, she became an inspiration to others for the incredible level of care she delivered every day.<\/p>\n
All of that changed eight years ago for Sweeney and her family who live in Mountaintop, Pa.\u00a0Diagnosed with a form of early onset dementia called posterior cortical atrophy, she set aside her career and focused her energy on the daily challenges she faced, alongside her loving husband, Chris, and her two sons, Christopher III and Michael.<\/p>\n
Support came in many ways from Sweeney\u2019s family. Her sister, Linda Niedbala \u201983, with the help of her husband, Sam Niedbala \u201982, started the Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series at ESU, which kicked off in March 2014. The Niedbalas wanted this initiative to be a lasting tribute to Sweeney\u2019s devotion to others while making a significant contribution to the education of healthcare professionals and the community-at-large about the cognitive impairment associated with dementia and other diseases of a similar nature.<\/p>\n
The lecture series will continue, for the sixth year, on Thursday, October 18 with a keynote address by Rebecca M. Edelmayer, Ph.D., titled \u201cPast, Present, and New Horizons in Alzheimer\u2019s and Dementia Research.\u201d\u00a0Dr. Edelmayer is the director of scientific engagement for The Alzheimer\u2019s Association.<\/p>\n
Edelmayer leads efforts to accelerate the scientific agenda of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association through the creation and delivery of ongoing research education. She is responsible for working with more than 75 Alzheimer\u2019s Association chapters, ensuring that staff and the public across the country are informed on the importance of medical research and the crucial role of the Association in the quest for transformative medicines and solutions for individuals living with dementia. Her\u00a0role also includes managing research initiatives that unite\u00a0key researchers and clinicians with industry, regulatory and government leaders on topics related to blood based biomarker testing, and use of digital health technologies and biotech approaches in studying dementia.<\/p>\n
Dr. Edelmayer has over 17 years of experience as a practicing scientist and educator. She spent more than six years as a pharmacologist in the Neuroscience and Immunology Discovery Divisions at Abbott and AbbVie, where she was recognized as an emerging scientific leader. As a senior scientist, she led a digital pathology team, conducted research, and supported development of clinical therapeutics in chronic inflammatory diseases of the nervous system and the skin. Dr. Edelmayer has lectured, published and led collaborations in areas of neurophysiology, inflammatory skin pathology and pain neurobiology.<\/p>\n
She completed her Ph.D. and post-doctoral training in medical pharmacology with a focus on neuropharmacology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Edelmayer holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh, where she also completed a National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellowship.<\/p>\n
The Troiani-Sweeney Endowed Fund Lecture Series will take place in the Niedbala Auditorium located inside Warren E. \u201955 & Sandra Hoeffner Science and Technology Center at 6 p.m. A reception will follow the presentation. The event is open to the general public at no cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis endowed lecture series is a tremendous gift to the university and to our medical community,\u201d said\u00a0ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.<\/p>\n