Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I am a #brain scientist. My life's mission is to prevent #Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias...or to contribute enough puzzle pieces so that someone else can unlock the mysteries of disease. I might take a day off, but if I’m being honest, maybe just half a day… because puzzle-making takes time when the goal is to save someone’s dad, grandparent, brother, son, momma, aunt, uncle, or best friend from forgetting who their family is. For scientists to build puzzles, we need a table to lay all the pieces on. The place we work gives us the legs of that table. Then, we dream big—writing grants to fund the puzzle pieces. But we also rely on “indirect costs” to build the top of the table, the foundation that holds everything together. I come from nothing...salt of the earth, they say. I had learning problems, but I clawed my way through to be here, working to save your loved ones, no matter which side of the aisle they sit on. #InThisTogether @nytimes @NIHAging – at Florida, USA