#AlwaysAndersonville: The Podcast – Steve Satek and Amber Holst of Great Lakes Clinical Trials

This week, Laura and Sara are joined by Steve Satek, President and Founder of Great Lakes Clinical Trials, and special guest, Great Lakes Director of Marketing, Amber Holst. Great Lakes specializes in the study of investigational medications, food products, devices and supplements for the treatment of chronic diseases, notably in Mental Health, Memory Disorders and Pain Management. Steve is one of the passionate, dedicated leaders in Alzheimer’s research and Great Lakes is determined to find a way to prevent the disease from occurring in aging older adults. With two locations in Arlington Heights and Chicago, you can find Great Lakes just around the corner at 5149 N. Ashland.

Click here to view this posting on the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce website:

(from left) Steve with Amber, Sara and Laura in Transistor’s Studio C.

Here are some references from Episode 34 you may want to check out:

• Steve has been working in the field of clinical research for the last 25 years. His education is in biochemistry and molecular biology. He spent a good amount of time as bench researcher, but didn’t find it very social. What is a bench researcher? Check out this informative blog post.

• Steve started working clinical trials for cancer treatments while working at Northwestern University, and he worked his way up to bigger trials for larger clinics. He soon discovered he preferred a smaller clinic setting, leading him to open Great Lakes Clinical Trials in 2014 in Andersonville.

• Steve was recently named by Crain’s Chicago as one of the most notable LGBTQ Executives for 2018. Check out the full article here, and Steve’s feature here.

• Great Lakes is servicing a growing community of older LGBTQ adults.

• Steve has always wanted to bring a clinic to a community, as opposed to bringing a community to a clinic. The opening of Great Lakes Clinical Trials allowed Chicago’s north side population to have somewhere closer to travel to as one of only a few clinics in the Chicagoland area. Steve also mentions the close proximity to Swedish Covenant Hospital and the partnership of services provided there.

“We need medications to maintain general public health, and the only way to get them approved for prescription is through the clinical trial process.”
-Steve Satek

• What is a clinical trial and how do people enroll? First, a team of board certified physicians assess each volunteer patient to make sure the individual qualifies for the trial. All of the trials at Great Lakes are free for the patient. View current studies here.

• According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.7 million Americans are living with the disease. Steve has been doing Alzheimer’s research for nearly 20 years. There are only four medications approved by the FDA right now to treat memory loss, but none of them specifically target Alzheimers. Great Lakes is working to target the source of memory loss in the brain; not just treating the side effect of memory loss.

• To get the word out about Great Lakes Clinical Trials, Steve and his team do informative workshops around Chicagoland to encourage participation in trials. View upcoming events here.

• Steve has lived in Andersonville since 1991. He knows that active older adults in the neighborhood want to participate in research studies, and offering the convenience of a nearby clinic is invaluable.

Chicago Alzheimer’s Awareness Day will be celebrated on Thursday, November 8.

Thursday, November 8 has been named Chicago’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Day by Mayoral Proclamation. Patients who have participated in past research studies will speak to help educate the community on why these type of studies are so important.  Special guests include both Alderman Osterman of the 48th Ward and Alderman O’Connor of the 40th Ward. Learn more about the event. RSVP for the event in advance.

• The event will also feature free genetic cheek swabs to determine whether or not the Alzheimer’s gene is present, as well as memory screening. Individuals can also sign up for free memory screenings at any point at Great Lakes Clinical Trials.

• Great Lakes is also conducting prevention trials with older adults, who may have the genetics to develop Alzheimer’s, but are not yet exhibiting systems. Prevention trials are for ages 60-70 and 70-75.

• If given the chance to switch places with an Andersonville business for the day, Steve would choose to switch places with our very own Sara Dinges of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce staff! Amber would choose to switch places with AlleyCat Comics (5304 N. Clark).
  

Purple ribbons line Clark Street in Andersonville in honor of November’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

Visit Great Lakes Clinical Trials on these platforms:
Online: greatlakesclinicaltrials.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GreatLakesCT
Instagram: @greatlakesCT
Twitter: @greatlakesCT

Mayor Rahm Emanuel Proclaims November 8th as Chicago Alzheimer's Awareness Day

Great Lakes Clinical Trials is proud to announce that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has officially proclaimed November 8th as “Chicago Alzheimer's Awareness Day”. This proclamation is associated with a citywide event taking place at the Swedish American Museum on November 8th to help raise awareness about the disease and to honor those volunteers that have taken steps to participate in research studies to help find a treatment, cure or prevention.

“I am so proud to be a lifelong resident and business owner in the City of Chicago, which recognizes the tireless achievements of medical research clinics and more importantly, the local residents who volunteer take part in clinical trials,” commented Steve Satek, President of Great Lakes Clinical Trials. “Without the participation of our senior community in research studies, we will never find a treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s disease. We are grateful for those that volunteer their time to join trials at Great Lakes Clinical Trials, as well as our many other research centers across Chicagoland”.

More information on the November 8th “Chicago Alzheimer's Awareness Day” event can be found on the Great Lakes Clinical Trials “Events” page or by clicking here.

The following is text from Mayor Emanuel’s proclamation. In addition, you can download an official copy of the proclamation by clicking here

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is home to approximately 2.7 million residents, with over 300,000 over the age of 65, and takes pride in promoting a healthy lifestyle with a continued strong quality of life as the population ages; and

WHEREAS, Chicago is home to world-class medical research organizations that focus on developing treatments and a possible cure for memory loss and Alzheimer's disease; and

WHEREAS, Great Lakes Clinical Trials is an internationally-recognized medical research clinic located on the north side of Chicago that is committed to providing free access to global research trials in the areas of memory loss and Alzheimer's disease to the community; and

WHEREAS, the Memory Care Coalition of Chicago is a non-profit community comprised of organizations, support groups, and healthcare providers, all of whom are dedicated to improving the quality of life for seniors and their caregivers in an effort to ensure that seniors receive the quality healthcare and support needed to face the challenges of memory loss; and

WHEREAS, the City of Chicago joins Great Lakes Clinical Trials and the Memory Care Coalition of Chicago in supporting the vision of the Alzheimer's Association, "A World Without Alzheimer's Disease"; and

WHEREAS, there are currently no treatments to prevent, or slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and of over I 0,000 adults, 62% are worried that they may develop Alzheimer's disease and 91 % believe the solution to eradicating this disease lies in medical research, showing the importance and necessity of clinical research trails to develop such advances; and

WHEREAS, Great Lakes Clinical Trials and the Memory Care Coalition of Chicago are dedicated to raising awareness of Alzheimer's disease research and the importance of participation in clinical trials to find a cure, through community education:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RAHM EMANUEL, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, do hereby proclaim November 8, 2018 to be CHICAGO ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS DAY in recognition of the tireless work and ongoing contributions of the research community in finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Dated this 25th day of September, 2018. 

#GLCT #ChicagoAlzDay2018