Every year, research adds new pieces to the Lewy body dementia (LBD) puzzle. Some pieces help doctors diagnose LBD sooner. Others show who may be most at risk, or how to make life easier for the people caring for someone with LBD. With so many studies underway, it can be hard to know what it all means for you and your family and care partners.
So, what happened this year, and what comes next? Join us for the Lewy Body Dementia Association’s (LBDA) 2026 Research Year in Review, where three leading researchers, all investigators at LBDA Research Centers of Excellence, will each share highlights from the past year.
- Dr. Jori Fleisher of Rush University Medical Center will discuss PERSEVERE, a study testing whether care partners who are paired with a trained peer mentor feel more confident and supported.
- Dr. James Leverenz of the University of Washington will share key findings from the Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium (DLBC), a group of research centers working together to improve how LBD is diagnosed and tracked.
- Dr. Ece Bayram of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will discuss LBD-TOROS, a study exploring how sex and environmental factors may shape the risk of developing LBD.
Afterwards, Keith Fargo, PhD, Director of Scientific Initiatives for the Lewy Body Dementia Association will moderate a panel discussion with the presenters to discuss how these pieces add to the overall picture of LBD that is emerging from research and to answer your questions.
At the end of the webinar, you will be able to:
- Understand how research is supporting care partners: Explore the PERSEVERE study, and how a trained peer mentor helps someone caring for a person with LBD. Learn what researchers know about what helps care partners feel more confident and less alone.
- Progress in understanding and diagnosing LBD: Understand the focus of the Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium, what its researchers are finding out about how LBD changes over time and how these findings lead to earlier, more accurate diagnosis.
- Who is at risk and why: Focusing on the LBD-TOROS study, understand how sex, work history and environmental exposures affect the risk of LBD and what the study has taught researchers so far.
About the Presenters
Jori Fleisher, MD, MSCE, FAAN
Dr. Jori Fleisher is an associate professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush Medical College and a movement disorders specialist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She earned her medical degree from Northwestern University and a master’s in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also completed her residency and fellowship training. Her work focuses on the needs of people and families living with advanced movement disorders, including dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Her research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy, includes studies of caregiver peer mentoring (PERSEVERE), interdisciplinary home visits, and telemedicine. The American Academy of Neurology has recognized her as an Emerging Leader and patient advocate.
James Leverenz, MD
Dr. James Leverenz is a professor of neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a physician investigator at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. He was the founding director of the Cleveland Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. A board-certified neurologist, he completed his medical education at the University of Washington, neurology training at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, and neuropathology training at the University of Chicago. He has cared for patients and families with dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease dementia for about 25 years, and published his first paper on the overlap of Lewy body and Alzheimer’s disease changes in the brain in 1986. Dr. Leverenz is the principal investigator of the NIH-funded Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium and previously chaired the Lewy Body Dementia Association’s Scientific Advisory Council.
Ece Bayram, MD, PhD
Dr. Ece Bayram is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she sees patients at the UCHealth Neurosciences Center in Aurora, Colorado. She earned her medical degree from Ankara University and completed fellowship training at the University of California, San Diego and the Cleveland Clinic. Her research focuses on the experiences and risk factors of people with Lewy body dementia, including how the disease affects people of different sexes, genders, sexual orientations, and racial and ethnic backgrounds. She leads the LBD-TOROS study of environmental and reproductive health risk factors for LBD and chairs the Young Members Group Steering Committee of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
For questions or more information, please email [email protected].
