SIU School of Medicine names Ala to endowed chair

Dr. Tom Ala, associate professor of clinical neurology and interim director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (CADRD), was named the Kenneth Stark Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Research at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine.

The interest in the endowment, which is funded by a $1.8 million gift from the estate of Stark, will be used to support Alzheimer’s disease research.

“Tom has provided great leadership and support to each of us working in the Alzheimer’s Center,” Ron Zec, associate professor of psychiatry and neurology, said. “He has strongly encouraged and supported the educational mission of CADRD, including educational programs for professionals and the public on treatment, care giving and prevention, and innovative therapeutic programs for our patients, including art and music.”

Ala, who joined the SIU School of Medicine in 1999, has been active in clinical and neuropathological research into Alzheimer’s disease, as well as dementia with Lewy bodies, vascular dementia and other related disorders. He earned his medical degree at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1981 after completing his bachelor’s degree at Michigan Technological University in 1970.