| Biography | |
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 Prof. Mark E. Williams University of North Carolina, USA |
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| Title: A New Nosology of Dementia | |
| Abstract: Dementia is among the most feared of chronic health conditions. It is a common problem, whose prevalence increases dramatically with age. Dementing illness can cause tremendous suffering, not only for those with the impairment, but also for their families and other caregivers. The number of persons with dementia is expected to increase worldwide as the global population ages. The enormous scope of the problem, combined with the difficulty in identifying individual cases, make early and accurate diagnosis an urgent public health challenge. Even in medical circles, the terminology is confusing. Since Alois Alzheimer’s first description (in 1906) of the clinical and pathologic findings in the case of a 54 year-old woman with progressive dementia, a nosology of dementia has developed, based primarily upon pathologic findings at post mortem examination. This taxonomy is imprecise however, and remains confusing. Moreover it is not helpful to clinicians caring for living individuals. We now know that what we call ‘dementia’ is not one but many diseases which share similar features, particularly loss of mental function. The more we learn about these distinct diseases, the more important it becomes to diagnose them as accurately and as specifically as possible in the pre-morbid state. This presentation will present an alternative nosology of dementias that can be applied to living persons based on specific clinical observations. | |
| Biography:
Mark E. Williams, MD is the Emeritus Ward K. Ensminger Distinguished Professor of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Virginia. He received his MD degree and Internal Medicine Residency from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Particularly interested in promoting the health and independence of elderly people, he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on various aspects of geriatric medicine including pioneering approaches to geriatric assessment, team models of care, uses of advanced communications technology, and the approach to the elderly patient. Currently living in Wilmington, NC he has an active clinical practice spending significant time in outpatient, inpatient, and assisted-living, and nursing home settings. He has served as a consultant to numerous scientific journals, private foundations, and the federal government. In 1995, Harmony Books, published his book, The American Geriatrics Society’s Complete Guide to Aging & Health. This book, sometimes called “The Dr. Spock for Older People” is addressed to the general public and aims to empower individuals by allowing them to be better informed and to take a more active role in their own health decisions. McFarland Publishing published his book—Geriatric Physical Diagnosis: A Guide to Observation and Assessment—in October 2007. UNCPress published his book for the general public, Aging Well, A Physician’s Guide to a Healthy Body, Mind and Spirit in August 2016. His most recent book is Nail The Diagnosis, What Our Fingernails Reveal About Our Health and Illness was published in February 2017. He is recognized through peer evaluations in American Health and other surveys as one of the best doctors in America.
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