In this episode of “Cognitive Conversations,” expert faculty discuss breaking data presentations from the 2026 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference held in San Diego, California, from December 1-4, 2025, and their implications for clinical practice.

Topics covered include:

• Evoke and evoke+ phase III trials of semaglutide
• Subcutaneous lecanemab as initiation and maintenance treatment
• Blood-based biomarker assays
• Trontinemab and other brain shuttles
• Tau targeting therapies in development
• Preventive impact of BCG and herpes zoster vaccination

This podcast episode is part of the CME/CE-accredited program, “Early Clues, Lasting Impact: Detecting and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease in Its Earliest Stages,” supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk.

Faculty:

Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD
William B. and Sheila Konar Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience, and Medicine
Director, Alzheimer's Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE)
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, New York

Vijay K. Ramanan, MD, PhD
Consultant and Associate Professor
Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Clinic
Department of Neurology
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/4999otE

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In this podcast episode, epilepsy specialists Danielle Becker, MD, MS, FAES, and Sarah Weatherspoon, MD, discuss the personalization of the most recently available epilepsy rescue treatments for younger kids and their implementation by the patient care team.

Faculty:

Danielle Becker, MD, MS, FAES
Division Director of Epilepsy
Associate Professor of Neurology
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Columbus, Ohio

Sarah Weatherspoon, MD
Associate Chief of Child Neurology
Tuberous Sclerosis Center of Excellence, Neurology Co-Director
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis, Tennessee

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Epilepsy Foundation Seizure Action Plan Toolkit
• CDC Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/3Y12Isx

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In this episode, Alireza Atri, MD, PhD, discusses his approach to patient conversations on brain health and provides advice to healthcare professionals practicing in community neurology settings, in a dialogue with Robin Martinez, a patient advocate from the Smart Patients online community. Supported by an educational grant from Lilly.

Faculty:

Alireza Atri, MD, PhD
Chief Medical Officer, Banner Research
Phoenix, Tucson and Sun City, Arizona
Director, Banner Sun Health Research Institute
Sun City, Arizona

Robin Martinez
Patient Advocate
Coordinator of Online Communities
Website Administration
Smart Patients Inc.
Denver, Colorado

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Alzheimer’s Association: DETeCD-ADRD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Specialty Care
  https://bit.ly/4kqtYt5
• American Geriatrics Society: 2023 Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults
  https://bit.ly/44zN8qG
• MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) : [Link to: https://mocacognition.com/]

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/44khuP5

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/4kziu6T

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, dementia expert Anton Porsteinsson, MD, discusses his approach to conversations on brain health with patients and provides guidance for HCPs practicing in community psychiatry settings, in a dialogue with Robin Martinez, a patient advocate from the Smart Patients online community. Supported by an educational grant from Lilly.

Faculty:

Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD
William B. and Sheila Konar Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, Neuroscience, and Medicine
Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program (AD-CARE)
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, New York

Robin Martinez
Patient Advocate
Coordinator of Online Communities
Website Administration
Smart Patients Inc.
Denver, Colorado

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) [Link to: https://www.psychdb.com/_media/mmse.]
• Mini-Cog (quick dementia screening test) [Link to: https://mini-cog.com/]
• MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) : [Link to: https://mocacognition.com/]
• Alzheimer’s Association Local Chapters [Link to:https://www.alz.org/chapter-search]
• Local Department of Aging [Link to : https://www.thecountyoffice.com/department-of-aging/]

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/3IAbyc7

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/40Jgth4

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Genevieve Neal-Perry, MD, PhD, discusses her approach to conversations on brain health with her patients in obstetrics and gynecology settings, in a dialogue with Robin Martinez, a patient advocate from the Smart Patients online community. Supported by an educational grant from Lilly.

Faculty:

Genevieve Neal-Perry, MD, PhD
Robert A. Ross Distinguished Professor
Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Robin Martinez
Patient Advocate
Coordinator of Online Communities
Website Administration
Smart Patients Inc.
Denver, Colorado

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Smart Patients, an online community for patients and their families [Link to: https://www.smartpatients.com/]

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/4lH4BEt

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/4nJrgSG

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Pierre N. Tariot, MD, discusses his approach to conversations on brain health with his patients and their family members in primary care settings, in a dialogue with Robin Martinez, a patient advocate from the Smart Patients online community. Supported by an educational grant from Lilly.

Faculty:
Pierre N. Tariot, MD
Director
Banner Alzheimer's Institute
Research Professor of Psychiatry
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Phoenix, Arizona

Robin Martinez
Patient Advocate
Coordinator of Online Communities
Website Administration
Smart Patients Inc.
Denver, Colorado

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Banner Alzheimer Institute
• ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes)
• MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment)
• Mini-Cog (quick dementia screening test)
• FDA Clears First Blood Test Used in Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease
• Lancet Commission: Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care 2024

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/4kk1vFs

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/3H4hoSl

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Susan Scanland, MSN, CRNP, GNP-BC, CDP, discusses her approach to conversations on brain health with her patients and their family members in clinical practice as a gerontological nurse practitioner, in a dialogue with Robin Martinez, a patient advocate from the Smart Patients online community. Supported by an educational grant from Lilly.

Faculty:

• Susan Scanland, MSN, CRNP, GNP-BC, CDP
  CEO & Founder
  Dementia Connection LLC
  Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
• Robin Martinez
  Patient Advocate
  Coordinator of Online Communities
  Website Administration
  Smart Patients Inc.
  Denver, Colorado

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Alzheimer’s Association: 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures
• Lancet Commission: Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care 2024
• American Geriatrics Society: 2023 Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults
• Alzheimer’s Association: DETeCD-ADRD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Primary Care
• Clinical Care Options: Integrating Brain Health Discussions Into Your Daily Routine

Link to obtain CME/CE credit:
https://bit.ly/4mqHoaS

Link to Brain Health Hub with additional educational activities:
https://bit.ly/3H4hoSl

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen in as Cristina Mussini, MD; Martin Witzenrath, MD, FERS; and Michele Bartoletti, MD, PhD, discuss best practices in managing people who are immunocompromised with COVID-19 in the hospital setting, including:

• COVID-19 burden among this population
• Initial workup to assess disease severity
• Summary of COVID-19 guideline recommendations
• A detailed patient case to illustrate key takeaways

Presenters:

Michele Bartoletti, MD, PhD​
Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Humanitas University
Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy
Head of Infectious Diseases Unit
IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital
Rozzano (MI), Italy

Cristina Mussini, MD​
Full Professor of Infectious Diseases
Chief of the Department of Infectious Diseases
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Modena, Italy

Martin Witzenrath, MD, FERS
Medical Director
Charite Centrum 12
Internal Medicine & Dermatology
Professor and Chair for Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care
Department of Infectious Disease, Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care
Charite Campus Mitte/Campus Virchow Klinikum/Campus Benamin Franklin
Charite – University of Berlin
Berlin, Germany

Link to full program:
https://bit.ly/4fs7Hcb

Downloadable slides:
https://bit.ly/4imCRU5

Get access to all of our new podcasts by subscribing to the CCO Infectious Disease Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify.

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