Your Health Sponsors The CART Fund Annual Meeting - Join the #StandwithCART Initiative
From Blue Buckets to Breakthroughs: Your Health Joins the Mission to End Alzheimer’s
Your Health team members joined researchers, Rotarians and supporters from across the country to celebrate a record-breaking year of Alzheimer’s research funding—and the possibilities it creates for patients and families.
What began as a few coins dropped into a small blue bucket has grown into a national movement advancing some of the country’s most promising Alzheimer’s disease research.
Bryan Melton, Social Worker, LISW/LMSW; Keri Hlavin, Transitional Care Professional; Mallory Phillips, Creative Director; and Dr. Jimmie Williamson, Chief Behavioral Officer at Your Health and newly elected President of The CART Fund, recently represented Your Health at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The CART Fund in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Your Health was proud to support the event as its presenting sponsor, joining scientists, Rotarians, donors and advocates for two days of meaningful conversations about the future of Alzheimer’s research. This year, CART awarded a record $4.55 million to 10 researchers pursuing innovative approaches to understanding, detecting, slowing and ultimately preventing the disease.
Bryan Melton, Social Worker, LISW/LMSW; Keri Hlavin, Transitional Care Professional; Mallory Phillips, Creative Director; and Dr. Jimmie Williamson, Chief Behavioral Officer at Your Health and newly elected President of The CART Fund, recently represented Your Health at the 2026 Annual Meeting of The CART Fund in Charlotte, North Carolina alongside Tiffany Ervin, Leading The CART Fund.
Small Change. Extraordinary Impact.
The CART Fund—Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust—was founded by South Carolina Rotarian Roger Ackerman. His original idea was remarkably simple: encourage Rotary members to empty the spare change from their pockets and purses into blue buckets during weekly meetings.
Over time, those individual contributions became something much larger.
CART has now funded 87 researchers and awarded $19.55 million in research grants. During the 2025–26 grant cycle alone, the organization reviewed 272 applications before selecting the 10 projects funded this year. CART’s reach now extends across 31 supporting states and approximately 600 Rotary clubs—and 100% of contributions to the fund are directed to Alzheimer’s research.
During the meeting, attendees also heard how CART’s early investments have helped researchers pursue ideas that later contributed to meaningful advancements in the understanding and identification of Alzheimer’s disease. The history reinforced an important message: funding an emerging scientist or an untested idea can become the first step toward a breakthrough that changes care for generations.
Dr. John Trojanowski Memorial Grant Award ($500,000)
Dr. Peter Sicinski, Harvard University
Untangling a Complex Disease
One of the meeting’s most powerful explanations came from Dr. Fulin Ma of the University of Pittsburgh, who described Alzheimer’s disease as a giant web.
There is no single strand responsible for the disease. Genetics, metabolism, inflammation, blood pressure, immune function, cellular health and changes within the brain may all contribute. Each researcher is working to better understand one part of that web—and, through that work, begin cutting away at the larger problem.
The projects funded this year reflect that complexity. Researchers are examining how toxic tau proteins form and spread between brain cells, how damage to DNA may influence disease progression, how immune responses outside the brain could interfere with its natural cleanup processes, and how the loss of myelin—the protective coating surrounding nerve fibers—may contribute to cognitive decline. Others are studying APOE4, the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the roles of mitochondria, inflammation, lysosomes and cellular waste removal.
Together, the projects demonstrate why progress requires scientists to approach Alzheimer’s from many directions rather than searching for one simple explanation.
Research With the Potential to Change Care
The meeting honored CART’s history through two memorial grants of $500,000 each.
The Roger Ackerman Memorial Grant was awarded to Dr. Kapil Ramachandran of Columbia University. His research focuses on understanding how harmful tau protein clumps begin forming in the brain. Rather than attempting to remove those clumps after damage has occurred, his team hopes to uncover how they might be stopped from forming in the first place.
The Dr. John Trojanowski Memorial Grant was awarded to Dr. Peter Sicinski of Harvard University. His team is studying whether a class of medications already approved for cancer treatment could potentially be repurposed for Alzheimer’s disease. In mouse models, the medications restored memory, learning and important connections between brain cells. Further research is needed, but using an existing class of medications could potentially shorten the path toward future clinical applications.
Researchers and panelists also discussed what patients and families may be able to look forward to in the years ahead. While a cure remains the ultimate mission, meaningful progress may first arrive through treatments that slow the disease, preserve cognitive function for longer periods and identify risk before symptoms become severe.
Earlier detection through blood-based biomarkers and other screening methods could create opportunities to intervene sooner. Attendees also learned about emerging research examining the possible relationship between vaccination and dementia risk, including studies suggesting that shingles vaccination may be associated with a lower incidence of dementia. Researchers continue to study that connection and the biological mechanisms that may be involved.
A “Mission Possible” for Dr. Jimmie Williamson
The event’s momentum carried into a memorable leadership moment for Dr. Jimmie Williamson.
Entering to a James Bond-inspired theme, Dr. Williamson delivered a “Mission Possible” message as he accepted his new role as President of The CART Fund. Through the organization’s #StandWithCART movement, he challenged supporters to take CART’s mission beyond Rotary meetings and into more communities across the country.
His goals include expanding CART’s presence from its current 31 supporting states to all 50 states, increasing fundraising and introducing more people to the scientists whose work those contributions make possible.
That support is especially important for early-stage researchers. CART grants are designed to help scientists explore promising ideas that may not yet have the extensive preliminary data traditionally required for other funding sources. That initial investment can help laboratories remain active, produce evidence and position innovative projects for future growth.
Throughout the meeting, researchers repeatedly expressed their gratitude for CART’s support and for the leadership, advocacy and involvement of organizations such as Your Health.
The 2026 CART Grant Recipients
This year’s funded researchers are:
Dr. Kapil Ramachandran, Columbia University — Roger Ackerman Memorial Grant, $500,000
Dr. Peter Sicinski, Harvard University — Dr. John Trojanowski Memorial Grant, $500,000
Dr. Hongxu Xian, Versiti Blood Research Institute — $500,000
Dr. Vivek Unni, Oregon Health & Science University — $500,000
Dr. Laurent Calvier, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center — $500,000
Dr. Fulin Ma, University of Pittsburgh — $500,000
Dr. Nadav Ahituv, University of California, San Francisco — $500,000
Dr. Barbara Slusher, Johns Hopkins University — $250,000
Dr. Joshua Kritzer, Tufts University — $500,000
Dr. Chih Hung Lo, Syracuse University — $300,000
Their projects span tau formation and transmission, DNA repair, immune signaling, genetic resilience, myelin protection, APOE4 therapies and the restoration of cellular waste-clearing systems.
Moving Forward Together
Your Health extends its sincere appreciation to Rotary and The CART Fund for welcoming our team and creating an opportunity to hear directly from the scientists leading this work.
We are honored to support Dr. Williamson as he begins his term as CART President and excited to stand beside the organization as it expands its reach, funds bold ideas and continues its journey toward better detection, more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
From spare change in a blue bucket to millions of dollars supporting laboratories across the country, CART proves that meaningful change often begins with one simple action—and grows when people unite behind a shared purpose.