By Saira Cabrera
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JAN. 26, 2026 – The UTRGV Memory and Aging Center will host the third annual Memory & Heart Connections, 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Brownsville ISD Central Administration Building.
The conference is a free, bilingual community event that brings together international experts to examine how heart health, brain health, the environment and culture intersect to shape how people age.
The event will highlight cutting-edge research and community-driven approaches to dementia prevention, including emerging blood tests for Alzheimer's disease, environmental health risks affecting South Texas communities, and the role of place, memory and identity in well-being.
Dementia rates in the Rio Grande Valley are among the highest in Texas, nearly double the national average.
As the state enters a new era of brain research investment through the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), UTRGV researchers are helping shape prevention strategies that center equity, early detection and lived experience.
The conference, coordinated by Dr. Gladys Maestre, director of the UTRGV Memory and Aging Center (MAC), will feature esteemed international experts in neuroscience, aging and brain health, including:
- Chinedu Udeh-Momoh (Nigeria), Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
- David Dorenbaum (Canada), University of Toronto.
- Andrea Chiba (USA), UC San Diego.
- Jacob Galan (USA), UTRGV.
- Karina Lozano (Mexico), Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
- Claudia Satizabal (Colombia), UT Health San Antonio, The Biggs Institute.
WHAT WE INHERIT
Maestre, one of the foremost global experts in memory and aging, said the work the MAC does is about protecting memory: “what we inherit from our grandparents and what runs in our blood.”
"Memory requires the senses to be activated,” she said. “A smell, a sound or a piece of art can transport us to another place and time. Through science and the arts, we can help people age with dignity, connection and hope."
The event will offer access to international and Valley-based researchers working at the forefront of dementia prevention, with topics of growing state and national relevance as families search for answers about memory loss, aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Conducted in English and Spanish, Memory & Heart Connections reflects the Memory and Aging Center's mission to advance research and outreach that honor culture, community and lived experience, particularly among populations with the highest burden of disease.
As Texas expands its focus on brain health, Maestre said, the conversation unfolding in South Texas highlights how prevention, culture and science must work together to protect memory across generations. That effort will be showcased at the Jan. 29 event.
"We are leading conversations that connect science with our culture, and we search for community-based solutions and tools," Maestre said. "Our conversations help us understand what's happening to memory, the heart, the brain and aging.
“We may not have a cure yet, but with what we're learning, we're moving closer every day,” she said.
To learn more about the event, email memory@utrgv.edu or call 956-296-3920.
ABOUT UTRGV
Celebrating its 10th anniversary during the 2025-2026 academic year, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is on a mission to transform the Rio Grande Valley, the Americas, and the world. As one of the country’s largest Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Seal of Excelencia certified, UTRGV has earned national recognition for its academic excellence, social mobility, and student success since opening in Fall 2015. Ranked among the Best Colleges for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars in 2025 by Washington Monthly (7 nationally; 1 in Texas), UTRGV continues to break enrollment records, launch new academic and athletics programs and progress toward achieving R1 research status. Additionally, UTRGV holds the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, awarded in 2020 and 2025, reflecting its commitment to strengthening community ties and addressing local challenges.
The only university in Texas with schools of Medicine and Podiatric Medicine, UTRGV’s regional footprint spans South Texas – with locations, teaching sites, and centers established in Edinburg, Brownsville, Rio Grande City, McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen, Laredo, Port Isabel and South Padre Island.
