“Decades ago, if a loved one got dementia, they were often hidden away, and that shame-oriented thinking around dementia is still out there,” says Caldwell. “It’s not something we want to bring up, it’s too negative, and I think that’s supported by the fact that we don’t have a cure yet. And that’s another reason that the work Maria has done over the past 10 years is so important. And it really comes down to her focusing on three different areas: raising money to jump-start research programs, donating her talent and time to educating people about the disease, and supporting women’s career development. One of her goals is to foster collaboration between scientists and that kind of collaboration is priceless.”