When Whitson began building the center, she realized Duke didn’t have every resource needed for “world-class envelope-pushing Alzheimer’s disease research.” What if we put it all together, and then we do some major Alzheimer’s research together?” Image Heather Whitson answers questions from early-career researchers during the panel discussion, “Building Science Without Borders: Cross-University Centers and Partnerships”. (Photo: Courtesy of Duke-UNC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center)5. “A mission for me is very much ‘I want to prevent and find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.’