UCSF Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia (RADD)

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT UCSF Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia (RADD) Summer Intern Program, developed and led by the Science & Health Education Partnership (SEP) at UC San Francisco (UCSF), will annually support five public high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in the biomedical sciences in research internships. Students will intern in labs that seek to deepen our understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias with the goal of improving and developing treatments and preventative care to lessen the burden of these diseases. The UCSF Memory and Aging Center (an NIA-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center), UCSF Institute for Neurogenerative Diseases, and the UCSF Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (an NIA-supported Research Center for Minority Aging Research) work to translate research science into improved diagnosis and care for people with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases, as well as to find a treatment or prevention. These labs offer an ideal backdrop to develop interns’ ability to conduct rigorous scientific research. The specific aims for this project are to 1) develop students’ science skills, 2) build students’ awareness of AD/ADRD research and the biomedical careers available in the field while also building their identities as researchers, and 3) foster college readiness. This project leverages UCSF SEP’s experience coupling authentic research experiences with co-curricular supports to prepare students to matriculate to and thrive in college, ultimately to increase participation in AD/ADRD careers among students from backgrounds defined by the NIH as underrepresented in biomedical research. The short- and long-term impacts of RADD on its student cohort will be documented through surveys to track high school graduation, college matriculation, major selection and degree completion, as well as students’ self-reported gains in science confidence, researcher identity, and belonging in science. Over the lifetime of the project, 25 students will be engaged in authentic Alzheimer’s and related dementias research projects and have the chance to leverage the support structures within RADD to propel themselves into a science careers.