The Gorrie family has given UAB a $10 million gift to fight Alzheimer’s. The Frances Gorrie Alzheimer’s Disease Center at UAB will accelerate research into and strengthen dementia care across Alabama.
“Alzheimer’s disease has touched far too many families, including people I care deeply about,” said Miller Gorrie, founder of Brasfield & Gorrie. “Supporting UAB’s work is my way of honoring those journeys and helping move us closer to better treatments, more hope and, one day, a cure.”
“The Gorrie gift comes at an exciting and critical moment,” said David Standaert, MD, PhD, John N. Whitaker Professor and chair of the UAB Department of Neurology. “Research has brought us new discoveries and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions, and more are in the pipeline. At the same time, the aging of our population means that more people will be impacted by these conditions. This gift will accelerate the process of discovery, support the training of additional specialists, and help us to empower the Alabama community with knowledge and access to care.”
The United States population is aging at a high rate. As of 2020, one in six Americans is 65 or older, and more than 7 million U.S. residents have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. That number could nearly double by 2050, with health and long-term care costs approaching $1 trillion.
Alabama is no exception to these trends. More than 103,600 Alabama residents, including nearly 12 percent of seniors, currently live with Alzheimer’s. In 2024, Alabama had the sixth-highest rate of Alzheimer’s-related deaths in the country, and it remains one of the leading causes of death in the state.