ISFTD is delighted to be working with the University of Pennsylvania Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (Penn FTD Center) to host the Caregivers Day, a one-day conference for family members and professional caregivers with presentations from leading experts to learn more about advances in research and approaches to care.
Friday, October 9, 2026
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Salon I-L Foyer
Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Salon I-L
Welcome
Speaker:
Lauren Massimo, PhD, CRNP, FAAN
8:45 AM - 10:00 AM
Salon I-L
Opening Plenary
Speaker:
Katie Brandt, MM
Moderator:
Emma Heming Willis
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Franklin Hall B
Coffee Break/Networking/Poster Viewing
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Breakout Session 1
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Salon I
Managing Behaviors Exhibited in FTD
Speaker:
Edward D. Huey, MD
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Salon K
Navigating the Conversation of FTD Genetics with Loved Ones
Panelists:
Beth Anderson & Linde Jacobs, RN Co-Founder at Cure MAPT FTD
Moderator:
Laynie Dratch, ScM CGC
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
Meeting Room 414-415
Scientific Data Blitz
10:30 AM - 10:42 AM
In Their Words: Children and Young Adults Navigating Familial Neurodegenerative Disease
Speaker:
Rowan Heffelfinger
10:50 AM - 11:02 AM
Online Support for the Management of Behavioral Symptoms: Co-Designing a Psychoeducational Intervention With Caregivers - The FTDtoolkit
Speaker:
Ana Paula Trucco
11:08 AM - 11:20 AM
RESPALDO: A Psychoeducation Program for Hispanic Care Partners of Individuals with Language-Prominent Dementia
Speaker:
Lucia Fernandez-Romero
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM
Breakout Session 2
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM
Salon I
Lived Experience as an FTD Care Partner - The Road to an FTD Diagnosis & Beyond
Panelists:
Sandra Gonzalez-Morett & Susan L. Koen, Ph.D.
Moderator:
Maria Kent Beers
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM
Salon K
How to Support Kids and Teens in a Family with FTD in Partnership with Lorenzo’s House
Panelists:
Liz Matthews & Jill Schwantes
Moderator:
Darby Morhardt, LCSW, Professor
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM
Meeting Room 414-415
A Hearth of Memories: Our Stories, Our Strength
Speaker:
Laura María Calderón Cuevas
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Salon I-L Foyer
Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Breakout Session 3
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Salon I
Lived Experience as an FTD Care Partner - The Road to an FTD Diagnosis & Beyond
Panelists:
Matthew Emery MS LGC & Tom Wright
Moderator:
Rachael Martinez
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Salon K
Your Seat at the Table: FTD Research and the Care Partner's Role
Speakers:
Shana Dodge, PhD, PMP & Dahlia Kamel, M.S., ACRP-CP®
1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
Meeting Room 414-415
Practical Approaches to Care Planning
Speaker:
Alison Lynn, LCSW Director of Social Work at the Penn Memory Center
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Breakout Session 4
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Salon I
Managing Language Symptoms in FTD
Speaker:
Emily Rogalski, PhD
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Salon K
Managing Motor Symptoms in FTD
Speaker:
Allison Snyder, MD
2:30 PM - 3:20 PM
Meeting Room 414-415
Volunteer & Advocacy – How One Voice Can Make a Difference
Speakers:
Meghan Buzby, MBA AFTD's Director of Advocacy & Volunteer Engagement & Wanda Smith, CureGRN Founder
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Franklin Hall B
Coffee Break/Networking/Poster Viewing
4:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Salon H
Introduction to The Holly Hayes Lecture on FTD
Speaker:
Marsel Mesulam
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Salon H
Holly Hayes Annual Lecture on FTD
Speaker:
Susan Dickinson
4:45 PM - 5:30 PM
Salon H
Panel: Recent Advances in Biomarkers and Emerging Therapies Shaping the Research Landscape
Panelists:
Adam Boxer, Alexander Murley & Yolande Pijnenburg
Moderator:
Nicole Bjorklund