Al Davis Receives Prestigious Award

Mr. Alfred Davis, a founding member of the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center (BU ADC) Community Action Council, recently received the prestigious Community Health Leader Award from the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation. Each year, the RWJ Foundation honors ten leaders in the field of community health who have developed key services within their communities, sometimes despite many barriers.

Mr. Davis was initially nominated for the Community Health Leader Award by BU ADC Education & Information Transfer Core member, Dr. Nancy Emerson Lombardo. His nomination was strongly supported by several other BU ADC faculty and staff. Letters of reference were enthusiastically provided by many Boston community leaders who have admired Mr. Davis and his accomplishments for many years. For example, Joyce Williams, Associate Director of Central Boston Elder Services said, "I am inspired by Al's humility and consistent devotion to the health and well-being of Boston Housing Authority's tenants and elders in family settings.I marvel at his ability to motivate his staff, peers, supervisors, and others."

Mr. Davis' vision is to foster a network of healthy lifestyle programs for low-income urban seniors, which started with his leadership in the Boston Housing Authority. For the past 15 years, Mr. Davis has been the Program Director of Resident Services for the Boston Housing Authority. His program provides services for 4,100 low-income seniors and disabled residents in 35 buildings located throughout Boston. Mr. Davis' community health work took off in 2000 when he launched an innovative, community-based blood pressure screening program. As a result of this screening process, one Boston Housing Authority senior resident was rushed to the emergency room due to dangerously high blood pressure. Mr. Davis was so affected by this experience that he became determined to provide healthy lifestyle activities to improve the health and function of Boston Housing Authority residents.

The centerpiece of Mr. Davis' activities is the "Put a Swing in Your Life" golf program, inspired by professional golfer, Tiger Woods. The program offers innovative exercise for Boston Housing Authority residents with cognitive and physical activity in addition to social interaction. Each of these factors has been reported to have a protective effect against Alzheimer's disease. The golf program provides African American seniors with access to an attractive, convenient exercise program. Mr. Davis believes access to such programs is essential to close the health gap for low-income seniors, especially persons of color. Notably, similar healthy brain initiatives are currently being promoted by the National Institute on Aging, which also funds the BU ADC.

The RWJ award provides recipients with $125,000 to help them expand their programs, so Mr. Davis will be able to make an even greater impact in his community. The BU ADC faculty, staff, and affiliates congratulate Mr. Davis for his passionate commitment to Boston's urban elders and for this well-earned recognition of his many accomplishments.

• Alfred Davis Receives Prestigious Award
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