Mercedes Florez Memorial Research Fund

The Mercedes Florez Memorial Research Fund provides funding to graduate students from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University or Eastern Michigan University for research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, with a specific focus on serving the Latinx community.

Background

Maria Mercedes Florez

Maria Mercedes Florez was living in Cuba when her husband was killed in a car accident, leaving her behind with two young children. The country had just witnessed the end of the Cuban Revolution, which placed Fidel Castro at the helm, and Mercedes Florez knew she had to get out. With one small suitcase and $50, she embarked on a journey that, thanks to two generations of powerful women, will now be immortalized in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease research.

Maria Mercedes Florez and Cecilia Votta in 1995

In the Summer of 2019, Cecilia Votta, a PhD student in the University of Michigan’s clinical psychology program, and her mother, Maria Martinez, came together to celebrate the woman who made their successes possible. After a life of hard work, bravery, and kindness, Mercedes Florez, beloved grandmother to Votta and mother to Martinez, passed away this year after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. In her honor, Votta and Martinez decided to make a gift to the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD) at the U-M Institute for Social Research to establish the Mercedes Florez Memorial Research Fund.

This gift to MCCFAD provides funding for research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, with a specific focus on serving the Latinx community. Votta was inspired to initiate this gift as a result of her work with members of the MCCFAD team. She says that when her family first began to struggle with the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, she reached out to Dr. Laura Zahodne, one of the center’s co-directors, to obtain resources. With help from MCCFAD, Votta was able to normalize the experiences of aging and dementia, and to lead her family through necessary, albeit difficult, end-of-life conversations. She recognizes that access to this kind of aging support is not a privilege shared by all, and hopes that her gift will ultimately help others to navigate these situations, as MCCFAD helped her.

MCCFAD is a collaborative effort between the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University, located on the campuses of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. MCCFAD is an Alzheimer;s disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (AD-RCMAR) funded by the National Institute on Aging. MCCFAD aims to foster and enhance innovative research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias with long term goals to advance relevant social and behavioral science research in underserved and underrepresented communities. MCCFAD also aims to diversify the research workforce dedicated to healthy aging.

The MCCFAD Mercedes Florez Memorial Research Fund provides grant funds of up to $10,000 to support research activities on ADRD in Latinx populations. Funds may be used to:

1. support/carry out novel pilot studies
2. facilitate Latinx community relationship building for research activities,
3. or supplement ongoing research projects to better address Latinx community needs around ADRD, including preparation and/or production.

Mercedes Florez Memorial Fund Awardee:

The awardee Emily Florez has an interest in becoming bilingual clinical psychologist focusing on providing clinical services and conducting research on the effects of language and culture on neuropsychological assessment. She has a special passion for research that benefits older adults. The award is funding her work examining risk of financial exploitation among Spanish-speaking older adults.