
ABOUT THE GALA
HONOREE
Frank LaFerla, PhD
Dean, School of Biological Sciences
Chancellor’s Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior
Frank LaFerla is the Dean of the UCI School of Biological Sciences and a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. He is the Director of the NIH-funded UCI Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Co-Director of NIH-funded MODEL-AD at UCI, a research effort to develop the next generation of model organisms to evaluate and cure Alzheimer’s disease.
Professor LaFerla’s research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia. His scholarly work has had a global influence on the field, as some of the models he has generated have been distributed to over 150+ researchers in more than 20 countries throughout the world; he has published over 250 original peer-reviewed articles and has been listed among the top 1% cited researchers in his field.
He has received several honors for his research accomplishments including the Ruth Salta Junior Investigator Achievement Award from the American Health Assistance Foundation, Zenith Fellows Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, Distinguished Mid-Career Faculty Research Award, Promising Work Award from the Metropolitan Life Foundation for Medical Research, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and was elected as a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Neurological Association.


MUSICAL GUEST
Maximo Marcuso
Tenor, Maximo Marcuso’s Gala mini concert performance will entertain in a grand manner with a beautiful and diverse repertoire of operatic arias, classical crossovers, Broadway standards and contemporary music. Accompanied by his musicians, guests are sure to be moved by Maximo’s vocal range and personality. Bravo!
EVENT INFORMATION
Balboa Bay Resort
1221 West Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Saturday, December 3, 2022
5:30 PM | Reception, Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres
7:00 PM | Dinner and Program
Black Tie
Invitation Only
GALA PLANNING COMMITTEE
Virginia Naeve, Committee Chair
Community Volunteer
Sydney Balalis
Community Volunteer
Shirley Cameron
Community Volunteer
Barbara DeMar
Community Volunteer
Kathryn Kendall
Community Volunteer
Roger Lisabeth
Community Volunteer
Becky Lomaka
O’Connor Mortuary
Diane Mondini
Caring Companions At Home
Rita Moreira
Community Volunteer
Marla Noel
OC Growth Advisors
Arnetta Robinson
Hoag at Home
Heather Sahargun
Community Volunteer
Wendy Salter
Community Volunteer
Kitty Woodworth
Community Volunteer
Sandy Zimmer
Winstor Inc.