Contact: Jennifer Whelihan
813-866-1610 Ext. 4115
Email: jwhelihan@byrdinstitute.org
Byrd Institute Celebrates Topping Off of State-of-the-Art Research
05.12.06
TAMPA, Fla (October 7, 2005) — State and Tampa area leaders will join officials from the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute Friday, May 12, 2006 to celebrate the "topping off" of the Institute's seven-story state-of-the-art research building.
The event hosted by the Byrd Institute and Turner Construction will celebrate the placement of the Institute's roof. The celebration will take place from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the building site, 4001 East Fletcher Avenue Tampa, FL 33613. A ceremony and news conference will begin at 2 p.m. Participants will include State Representative Rich Glorioso, Plant City, District 62. Also attending will be Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Johnnie B. Byrd, Jr., members of the Byrd Institute Board of Directors, and researchers and scientists from throughout Florida.
Officials with the Byrd Institute said the building would help make Florida a leader in finding better treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's.
"The governor wants Florida to be the biotechnology hub of the world. We are taking that one step further and saying that Tampa and the University of South Florida will be leaders in making that happen," said Huntington Potter, Chief Executive Officer of the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute and Eric Pfieffer Chair for Research in Alzheimer's Disease, University of South Florida School of Medicine.
Tom Conklin, Esq., and chairman of the Byrd Institute said that researchers throughout the state are working together to find a cure. "All of us at the Byrd Institute believe that science can unlock the mysteries of this disease. It was 100 years ago that a scientist first detected the signs of Alzheimer's. We can't wait another 100 years for a cure. All of us are honored to be a part of the excellent work being done on behalf of people living with Alzheimer's and we will continue our work until a cure is found," said Conklin.
This topping off celebration marks the placement of the last structural element and the beginning of the finishing elements. Over the next few months, the building will transform from a concrete skeleton to an architecturally significant glass and stucco structure that will become a North Tampa/USF landmark.
The Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute was established in 2004. Florida Legislators provide $15 million a year to the Institute to fund research and operation of the Byrd Institute and for the Byrd Institute to provide statewide grants for Alzheimer's research and to assist people living with Alzheimer's. The Byrd Institute is the only Florida-based facility designated an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center by the National Institutes of Health.
"This building is a visible sign of Florida's commitment to Alzheimer's research. We thank Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature for their support of Alzheimer's research and service. The state is a partner in our mission to find better ways to assist people living with Alzheimer's and to find a cure. The people of Florida will share in the accomplishment of every research break-through and every step taken toward our goal of eliminating Alzheimer's as a major health care problem," said Melanie Meyer, Chief of External Affairs for the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute.
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