DEBORAH HANNA
Founder, Program Development
Co-facilitator, Men’s Group and Women’s Group (PALS)
Deborah Hanna is one of the founding members of YES! She is armed with passion to support and advocate for families affected by young onset dementia.
The development of programs for education and support for families of YES! is Deborah’s heartbeat. With a BS in Psychology and MA in Therapeutic Education, Deborah completed her Specialist in Aging post graduate degree from McDaniel College. She completed Clinical Spiritual Support Training at GBMC and Hospice certification in both direct patient care and bereavement training. A transition in career from early childhood to gerontology was triggered when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 17 years ago.
Deborah is a facilitator for the early stage, young onset memory loss support group at the Alzheimer’s Association. She provides a bi-monthly educational presentation series on topics of dementia, is co-founder of Pretty Awesome Ladies (PALS), a social group for caregivers, and has been a panelist speaker at various Maryland Alzheimer’s conferences. She is currently employed as the Director of National Patient Advocacy at Clinical Site Services (CSSi), and supports enrollment for clinical trials, including Alzheimer’s disease research. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and making memories with her grandchildren.