The fight against Alzheimer’s disease is once again in the news, this time featuring efforts in Columbus, Georgia, a city not much larger than Syracuse, to test all the city’s elderly residents for the dreaded health malady. Sharon Brangman, MD, professor of medicine and Division Chief of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University, will discuss progress in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease during the next free, public health lecture hosted at 7 p.m. April 24 by 100 Black Men of Syracuse and Black Nurses Rock.

The 90-minute lecture, fourth in the monthly series, will be held at the South Side Innovation Center, 2610 South Salina St. in Syracuse. Brangman, who has received numerous honors during her distinguished career, is one of four honorees recognized in 2010 with the 100 Black Men Community Service Award. Joining her on April 24 will be Martha Hutchinson, volunteer and outreach coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association Central New York chapter, who will discuss available local resources.

The free community lecture series, which is held the fourth Monday of each month through July 24, will feature a range of remaining health topics, including:

• prostate cancer

• diabetes

• stroke

No advance registration is required for the lecture series. Previous topics in the lecture series covered mental health services in the black community, local aging services and heart attack and blood pressure screenings. For more information, email Charles Anderson or call him at (315) 200-7847 or email Denise Baker or call her at (315) 378-8386.