Formerly the Beuerlein Fellows Program
In Equity and Access to Alzheimer’s and Dementia Response
Dr. John C. Morris Fellows are a cohort within the St. Louis Fellows program who work in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri chapter. The program began in spring 2021 as the Beurlein Fellows Program, and has since changed names to honor the work of Dr. Morris.
As a Morris Fellow, students participate in a spring orientation and comprehensive training at the Alzheimer’s Association and work within one of the Association’s three pillars: Care and Support, Concern and Awareness, and Public Policy.
For the names of our Morris Fellows alumni, please visit our St. Louis Fellows Alumni directory.
Fellows Program Focus Areas
Many communities face additional challenges when confronted by Alzheimer’s and other dementia, and the burden of dementia impacts racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately.
Dr. John C. Morris Fellows are focused on supporting families who are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by improving risk reduction, advancing science specific to diverse communities, and more:
- Care and Support: In our effort to expand reach to all affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementia, students will help analyze program engagement by zip code in the St. Louis region, identify gaps in service delivery and create/implement a strategy for engaging volunteers and partners in identified areas.
- Potential skill building includes conducting research, understanding and presenting using publicly available data sources, understanding of community-based participatory research, and writing and verbal communication.
- Concern and Awareness: In seeking to raise awareness and concern of Alzheimer’s disease with all communities, we must adapt our messaging and use innovative methods to reach diverse audiences. Students will help create written and/or graphic materials targeted to identified communities.
- Potential skill building includes writing press releases, blogs, pitch notes, narrative building, web design and content generation, and graphic design.
- Public Policy: Advocates play a critical role in communicating bi-partisan support for policies and initiatives that support/fund efforts to improve access to care, quality of care and expand available community resources for caregivers and those living with the disease. Students will research grassroots efforts supporting critical health issues and identify best practices to attract more volunteer advocates, engage in discovery/research on what motivates current potential partners to activate a cause they care about.
- Potential skill building includes conducting research and analysis, increasing your knowledge of available databases, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and understanding of the policy process.
About the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Founded in 1980 by family caregivers, the organization has grown to include the national office in Chicago, the public policy office in Washington, D.C., and local chapters in communities across the nation. The Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri chapter has a service area encompassing 96 counties – 86 in Missouri and 10 in Illinois. The chapter has three offices located in St. Louis, Springfield, and Columbia, Missouri.
About Dr. John C. Morris
In May 2022, the Beuerlein Fellows Program became the Dr. John C. Morris Fellows Program. John Beuerlein, MBA ’77, and Crystal Beuerlein, who made the original, generous gift that founded the program, changed the name to honor the extensive contributions to Alzheimer’s research and patient support made by Dr. Morris.
Dr. Morris holds professorships in neurology, pathology and immunology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Since 2003, he has served as the director of the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center within the Washington University School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology. Dr. Morris also served as the director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at WashU from 2001 until 2011.