Gift to Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Will Help Fund Early Detection and Treatment
Director Ann McKee says the donation comes at a key time for the center and its research
Monita Lam’s gift establishes a research fund in the name of her late mother, Kum Fung Lau (pictured). Photo courtesy of Monita Lam
Gift to Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Will Help Fund Early Detection and Treatment
Center director says the donation comes at a key time for the center and its research
When her mother began to show signs of memory loss and cognitive decline, Monita Lam turned to Boston University’s medical community for support. “The doctors at BU helped me understand the complexities of Alzheimer’s,” she says. “They taught me how to care for my mother with compassion and knowledge, and they helped me feel less alone.”
Now, Lam has made a personally meaningful and generous gift to the University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (BU ADRC) to honor her beloved mother and to support groundbreaking research in the fight against the disease.
By establishing the Kum Fung Lau Fund—named for her mother, who died in 2002—Lam seeks to recognize the immense responsibility caregivers and doctors face in managing diseases like Alzheimer’s and to inspire others to give back. Her gift will support key research initiatives at the BU ADRC.
“We have made huge strides in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease within a person’s lifetime,” says Ann McKee, BU William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Pathology and director of the BU ADRC. “The Kum Fung Lau endowment will go primarily toward early detection, early intervention, and treatment, as well as leadership training that will help researchers keep on track with the progress we’ve made.”
McKee also emphasizes the importance of private gifts, particularly in a time of uncertain federal funding, when some grants have been halted. “Philanthropy allows us to continue without staff reductions, lab shutdowns, or stopping the ongoing experiments,” she says.
The BU ADRC is focused on detecting Alzheimer’s as early as possible—ideally before symptoms or pathology appear—and intervening through clinical trials. With a recent shift toward precision medicine over one-size-fits-all approaches, researchers are developing new strategies to that end. These include identifying how specific physical characteristics, such as how a person’s genes interact with environmental factors, and data from wearable devices like watches can inform targeted therapies that move from the lab bench to patient care.
“We’re extremely grateful to Monita for her very generous gift in her mother’s name,” says McKee. “It will allow us to accelerate all our cutting-edge research.”
Lam says she hopes her story is a powerful reminder that philanthropy is not only a tribute to those we love, but also a lifeline to those still waiting for answers.
“We can’t afford to wait for a cure,” she says.
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