Emmy Award-winner Dr. Max Gomez, medical correspondent for CBS News, recently addressed “Alzheimer’s Disease: How Do You Know, What You Should Do” in the Wallace Auditorium of Overlook Medical Center.One of television’s most respected medical journalists, Dr. Max has reported for “Dateline,” “The Today Show” and “48 Hours” and produced award-winning health and science segments for networks stations in New York and Philadelphia. Over more than three decades, he has earned nine Emmy Awards, three New York State Broadcasters Association awards and UPI’s “Best Documentary” Award.
While concerned with the alarming increase in Alzheimer’s incidence and the implications for our society, Dr. Max has a personal stake in better understanding this disease since his own father became afflicted a few years ago.
“When my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it didn’t come as a complete surprise. My Ph.D. in neuroscience, many years as a medical journalist and experience moderating panels on Alzheimer’s prepared me for the clinical diagnosis. What I wasn’t entirely prepared for was trading places with him,” says Dr. Max. “Alzheimer’s isn’t just about the science. It’s about patience, understanding and love when they need it most. It’s about adjusting our perspective, accepting and even embracing the changes we see in them.”
This engagement was the fourth in a series of lectures on health and the public interest made possible by a generous gift from the Thomas Glasser Foundation and endowed through the Overlook Foundation.