Family members of Dotti Shelton and Charles Shelton have turned their experience with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia into a lasting commitment to advance cognitive care for generations to come. Through a transformational gift honoring the memory of their loved ones, the Shelton family established an endowed fund to support a chair within the Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute – Charlotte.
At a private investiture ceremony held January 14, 2026, Dr. Mia Yang was named the inaugural Shelton Endowed Chair for Cognitive Health, marking a significant milestone in Alzheimer’s and dementia-related research, education, and clinical care.
Support for the Shelton Endowed Chair reflects the family’s deep commitment to addressing one of the most urgent and personal health challenges facing patients and families today. The endowment provides sustained resources to drive innovation, expand access to care, and accelerate progress in the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders.
“Caring for somebody with dementia is emotionally draining for the family members and caregivers,” said Mandy [Shelton] Houser, board chair of Atrium Health Foundation, whose late father and aunt were impacted by the disease. “We are just so fortunate that we have great doctors in this space that are helping us navigate these challenges. Our hope is that this [chair] will open the door for other families, enabling earlier diagnosis and risk reduction, better treatment, and ongoing support.”
The Shelton Endowed Chair is based at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, a hub for academic excellence and innovation, and is housed within the Department of Neurology at Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute – Charlotte in partnership with Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
“Tonight, we’re celebrating a commitment to cognitive health — to patients and families, and the future of health care and discovery in this area,” shared Dr. Ebony Boulware, dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, at the investiture ceremony. “Dr. Yang embodies exactly what this chair stands for…and we’re so grateful that she has chosen to bring her expertise, her energy, and her heart to this community where it’s so needed.”
In her role, Dr. Yang will lead the development of a multidisciplinary program focused on delivering high-quality, patient-centered cognitive care. She will oversee clinical strategy, expand access to services, and help guide quality improvement, education, and research initiatives that benefit patients across the Greater Charlotte region and the broader Advocate Health enterprise.
“This support allows us to build a nationally recognized program rooted in compassionate care, leading-edge research, and collaboration,” said Dr. Yang. “I’m honored to lead this work and grateful for the opportunity to serve our communities.”
A nationally respected physician-researcher, Dr. Yang currently serves as Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine), with a secondary appointment in Implementation Science. She leads the Wake Forest House Call Program; serves as part of the NIH-funded Sticht Center; and was instrumental in contributing to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ GUIDE dementia care model, for which she is now leading implementation across four Advocate Health markets: Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Chicago, and Milwaukee.
Dr. Yang earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, and holds a master’s in Clinical and Population Translational Science from Wake Forest University.
Thanks to the Shelton family’s extraordinary generosity, Dr. Yang’s appointment as the inaugural Shelton Endowed Chair for Cognitive Health represents a transformative step forward in advancing brain health and improving care delivery across the region.
Dr. Mia Yang (left) was joined by members of the Shelton family at a private investiture ceremony on Jan. 14.
About Atrium Health Foundation
Founded in 1959, Atrium Health Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in Charlotte. As the point of contact for all contributions benefiting Atrium Health in the Charlotte region, the Foundation is redefining care through transformational giving. Through its current Giving Hope Campaign, Atrium Health Foundation is supporting Atrium Health’s efforts to create the learning health system of the future by building healthy communities, outstanding education programs, preeminent research and exemplary facilities.