Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease (LEAD Coalition) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Courtney Wallin as our new Federal Policy Director, beginning on June 10. In this role, Dr. Wallin will work alongside the Executive Director (Ian Kremer, JD) to build and leverage consensus on federal public policies relevant to Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia. Dr. Wallin will bring technical expertise to strategic conversations, forge relationships with LEAD Coalition member and allied organizations along with the scientific community, and develop messaging to effectively articulate policy positions to a broader audience.
Dr. Wallin brings a wealth of leadership and experience to the LEAD Coalition. She joins us from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she most recently was the Director of the Office of Legislation, Policy, & International Activities at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). In this role, Dr. Wallin served as a liaison to Congress and other stakeholders and led a team responsible for developing high-impact products, such as the annual Alzheimer’s Disease Professional Judgment Budget and Scientific Progress Report. Dr. Wallin joined the NIH in 2016 as a Presidential Management Fellow, serving as a health science policy analyst within NIA. As a fellow, Dr. Wallin contributed to a range of projects and events, including organizing the inaugural National Dementia Care and Caregiving Research Summit in 2017, a groundbreaking event (first proposed by the LEAD Coalition) that has since set the stage for national dialogue on dementia care and led to numerous NIH funding opportunities. Dr. Wallin also served as the Outreach Lead at NIH’s All of Us Research Program in 2020 and 2021, where she led efforts to raise awareness about the value of the All of Us dataset, engage researchers from a broad range of communities, and cultivate program partnerships.
Dr. Wallin earned her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from The George Washington University. While pursuing her doctorate, Dr. Wallin was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; she also received the Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship to support research training at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Dr. Wallin also holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology from Providence College.
Dr. Wallin’s proven track record and leadership on public policy matters, strategic outreach, and scientific communications will be a tremendous asset as the LEAD Coalition continues to drive forward meaningful change for all individuals living with and at risk for Alzheimer’s and related causes of dementia. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dr. Wallin as she embarks on this new chapter with us.