Governor Abbott Names Chair And Appoints Turner And DeFina To Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders

December 5, 2019 | Austin, Texas | Appointment

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Angela Turner and reappointed Laura DeFina, M.D. to the Texas Council on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders for terms set to expire on August 31, 2025. Additionally, the Governor named Marc Diamond, M.D. chair of the council. The council facilitates the coordination of state services for victims of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

Angela Turner of Normangee is an 8th Grade Science Teacher at Texas Virtual Academy Hallsville. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, Texas Association of Biology Teachers, and Texas Retired Teachers Association. She previously served as the secretary and treasurer of the Normangee Public Library. Turner received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Education from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University.

Laura DeFina, M.D. of Richardson is the president, CEO, and Chief Science Officer at The Cooper Institute. She served honorably in the United States Army for 11 years. She is a member of the North Texas Commission Board of Directors, John Paul II High School Board of Directors, American Heart Association, and the American College of Physicians. DeFina attended Northwestern University and received a Doctor of Medicine from George Washington University School of Medicine. She completed an Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Oncology Fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Marc Diamond, M.D. of Dallas is the founding director of the Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the American Neurological Association. Diamond received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California San Francisco.