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Camille Ruvo (left) was presented with the WAM Award for Leadership in Philanthropy and Alzheimer’s Prevention Research by Maria Shriver.
LAS VEGAS, NV: Camille Ruvo, chairwoman and co-founder of Keep Memory Alive, was recognized with the Women's Alzheimer's Movement (WAM) Award for Leadership in Philanthropy and Alzheimer’s Prevention Research during the Cleveland Clinic Global Women’s Health + WAM Forum last week. Ruvo was honored for her instrumental role in helping establish Las Vegas as an international hub for women-focused Alzheimer’s research.
“We wanted to honor Camille for taking her own journey of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease and turning it into a powerful, motivating force to drive change in the lives and futures for thousands of other families in similar circumstances,” said Maria Shriver, founder of WAM and co-founder of Cleveland Clinic’s Comprehensive Women’s Health and Research Center. “Her vision of an innovative, holistic model of care is today being emulated by other institutions around the country.”
After seeing firsthand the impact Alzheimer’s disease can have on families, Ruvo and her husband, Larry Ruvo, dedicated themselves to advancing how the disease is studied, prevented and supported. She has been a driving force behind the growth of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, supporting research, clinical care and caregiver services. She also played a key role in launching the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) Prevention and Research Center in Las Vegas to address women’s disproportionate risk for the disease, as well as the program’s expansion to serve women in Ohio.
“We’ve made meaningful progress in many areas of women’s health, yet brain health has not received the attention it deserves,” said Camille Ruvo. “We are committed to helping close that gap through prevention, research, education, and support so women and families have access to the knowledge, resources, and care they need to navigate brain health with confidence and hope.”
The recognition took place on May 7 during the Cleveland Clinic Global Women’s Health + WAM Forum, the first time the nationally traveling WAM Forum has joined forces with the Comprehensive Women’s Health and Research Center for a full day of inspiring education presented by leading physicians, researchers, advocates and philanthropists focused on advancing every aspect of women’s health across the lifespan, from pregnancy to menopause, and heart, bone and brain health.
“Camille’s unwavering commitment to advancing Alzheimer’s prevention and research has made a profound impact, not only in Las Vegas but across the country,” said Lara Kalafatis, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Philanthropy Institute. “Her vision and leadership have helped bring critical attention to the unique ways this disease affects women, while expanding access to care, research and support for countless families. She is truly deserving of this recognition.”
Shriver joined Cleveland Clinic Chief of Staff Beri Ridgeway, M.D., as cohost for the day, which had a strong focus on research and the contributions made by women doctors and scientists. Along with recognizing the winners of the WAM Awards, Shriver announced three studies that will be awarded 2026 WAM Research Grants, including innovative research underway in Las Vegas to better understand Alzheimer’s risk in women.
The emerging scientist grant was given to Xiaowei Zhuang, Ph.D., a Las Vegas-based researcher at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, whose work explores how menopause-related hormonal changes and genetic risk factors intersect to influence Alzheimer’s risk in women. She focuses on identifying earlier and more personalized risk-reduction strategies for women at increased risk of cognitive decline.
The forum also highlighted the continued growth of the WAM Prevention and Research Center in Las Vegas, founded through a collaboration between Cleveland Clinic and WAM. It was the first Alzheimer’s prevention program in the country designed just for women and offers risk assessment, lifestyle modifications and personalized health plans for women at increased risk for Alzheimer’s.
“This is such an important discussion,” said Sandra Darling, D.O., MPH, program director of the WAM Prevention and Research Center. “Women’s health needs to be at the forefront. We need to recognize these important issues that are not only impacting our quality of life right now but will affect our health down the road if we don’t take action.”
In Las Vegas and Cleveland, the center offers both in-person and virtual appointments focused on addressing the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women.
For additional information on the State of Women’s Health and WAM, click here.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation, Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 83,000 employees worldwide are more than 6,600 salaried physicians and researchers, and 21,900 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,725-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 300 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2025, there were 15.9 million outpatient encounters, 343,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 336,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at x.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM), a nonprofit established by award-winning journalist and leading Alzheimer’s disease advocate Maria Shriver, has been at the forefront of addressing the disparity in funding for women-based health research with a mission to address the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on women through prevention, research, education and advocacy. WAM’s innovative work in Alzheimer’s disease prevention complemented research efforts and programming at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2020, the two organizations joined forces to open the world’s first and only Alzheimer’s disease prevention center for women: The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic, a successful collaboration that continues to grow its impact. In 2022, this partnership expanded as WAM became WAM at Cleveland Clinic, the preeminent organization for women and Alzheimer’s disease. Today, WAM at Cleveland Clinic is focused on:
To learn more, visit womensalzheimersmovement.org.
