Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Honors Carol Boulanger and the National Football League Players Association at Thirteenth Annual Fall Symposium and Luncheon

ADDF celebrates philanthropic partners moving Alzheimer’s research closer to a cure

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) hosted its Thirteenth Annual Fall Symposium and Luncheon on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at The Pierre. This year’s honorees were recognized for their efforts to support the ADDF’s mission to develop drugs to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: Carol Boulanger, Retired Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP and ADDF board member, was honored with the 2022 Charles Evan Award and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) was honored with the inaugural Visionary Partner Award, which was accepted by DeMaurice Fitzgerald Smith, Executive Director at the NFLPA. The event raised $1.2 million, 100% of which will go to support promising science.

The luncheon, which was hosted by nine-time Emmy Award winner, journalist, and ADDF board member Paula Zahn, began with the presentation of the Charles Evans Award to Ms. Boulanger for her distinguished leadership as a member of the ADDF’s Board of Overseers and advocacy for the foundation since its inception nearly 25 years ago.

The ADDF’s Co-Founder and Co-Chairman Leonard A. Lauder offered praise for Ms. Boulanger and her decades of support. “I’ve known Carol for several decades, as a dear friend and advisor to both the ADDF and the Estee Lauder Companies. Carol is a true leader in the fight to find a cure for this debilitating disease, and what a treasure it is for us —and for the millions of people around the world who have been affected by Alzheimer’s—that she has dedicated so much of herself to the ADDF.”

“From the start, Ronald and Leonard have had the vision and the determination to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said Ms. Boulanger, accepting the award. “They know the therapies we discover for one neurological disease will give us insight into treatments for related diseases like FTD, CTE, Parkinson’s and many others. Because of the ADDF’s broad vision, we can now say ‘hope is here.’ The ADDF, with its supporters and gifted scientists, is very close to finding the cure for these devastating diseases.”

This year’s luncheon also included the presentation of the inaugural Visionary Partner Award, which will be granted each year to an outstanding partner who has helped to advance the ADDF’s mission. The NFLPA was honored for its role in the coalition of prominent philanthropists supporting the ADDF’s Diagnostic Accelerator, a global research initiative dedicated to accelerating the development of affordable and accessible biomarkers to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and advance the clinical development of more targeted treatments.

Chris Johnson, CEO of Rackson Restaurants, Chair of the ADDF’s Board of Overseers, and longtime advocate, presented the award, acknowledging his special connection to the NFLPA. “My dad played seven seasons in the NFL including a few years for the New York Giants. The NFL and NFLPA had a profound impact on his life, so it’s amazing to be bestowing an award to the NFLPA for its role in helping detect and ultimately eradicate the disease that ended his life. Their support of the Diagnostics Accelerator is proof they see the future and know the exponential impact our collective success with the ADDF will have on humanity.”

"Having the honor to team up with the ADDF as part of the Diagnostics Accelerator’s generous group of funders to advance their critical mission of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s has produced some of the NFLPA’s most meaningful work,” said Mr. Smith. “In a time when division seems so prevalent across our country, to see this partnership come together and spur medical advances in the early detection of Alzheimer’s has been especially rewarding for me to witness. For far too long, this disease and other dementias have devastated our families and communities, and as a union that works daily to protect the health and safety of its members, we are equally committed to doing our part alongside the ADDF to provide hope and breakthroughs."

Notable guests including Joel Ehrenkranz, Bonnie Pfeifer Evans, Nancy Goodes, Judy and Leonard A. Lauder, Laura and Gary Lauder, Josh Lauder, William Lauder, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, Marsha and Henry Laufer, Larry Leeds, Randal Sandler, Sean Sansiveri, DeMaurice Smith, Alice Shure, Iris Apfel, and Paula Zahn were among those in attendance.

Preceding the luncheon, Dr. Howard Fillit, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of the ADDF, moderated a scientific symposium on novel Alzheimer’s therapeutics in clinical development featuring Gary Gibson, PhD, Professor at the Brain Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College and a member of the Institute's graduate program, and Lisa Ricciardi, Chief Executive Officer and President of Cognition Therapeutics.