UVA President donates money raised ahead of Boston Marathon to Alzheimer’s research

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A big check from UVA’s president is aiming to make big steps when it comes to Alzheimer’s research.

On Friday afternoon, President Jim Ryan presented the nearly $80,000 he raised ahead of running the Boston Marathon in front of a group of doctors, nurses, and other medical students and professionals. The money is a product of the more than 12,000 people who donated to the cause this year, and together, is a milestone that UVA Health hopes can bring them even closer to finding a cure for the disease.

“Everybody who’s been touched by Alzheimer’s disease as a caregiver, as a parent, as a spouse, as a child, I think understands that it’s really such a devastating disease,” said Mitchell Rosner, Interim Executive Vice President at UVA Health. “This is really a way of accelerating our ability to really push forward and hopefully make an impact.”

Rosner says the funds will go towards enabling student research projects that would otherwise not be possible.

Ryan was not available for interviews at the check presentation.

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