Core E: Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core

OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT CORE: CORE E - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement (ORE) Core plays a pivotal role in the JHADRC by (1) facilitating the recruitment of diverse participants into the Clinical Core as well as clinical research projects associated with the JHADRC; (2) maximizing retention by providing feedback to participants about the value of their involvement in ADRD research and demonstrating our gratitude for their participation; and (3) conducting a range of community education and engagement programs to increase understanding about brain health, ADRD, and the importance of research. The ORE Core accomplishes these goals through a variety of activities that are implemented in collaboration with the other JHADRC Cores and the REC, our Community Advisory Board, and our community partners. In the next funding cycle, we will continue to work closely with the Clinical Core to recruit a diverse subject population into the JHADRC and to maintain a Recruitment Registry that serves as an important source of participants for the Clinic Cohort and for JHADRC-associated studies. These recruitment efforts will continue to include a variety of in-person events and virtual programs that our tracking metrics demonstrate have proven successful in the past. We will expand our partnerships in the minority community to further enhance our ability to support the many clinical research studies associated with the JHADRC, including working with community partners in rural communities in Maryland, and strengthening our partnerships with local Historically Black Colleges/Universities. Working closely with the Neuroimaging, Biofluid, and Neuropathology Cores, we will develop additional culturally sensitive materials about the importance of biomarkers and brain donation, in order to expand agreement to these procedures by JHADRC participants. We will continue our existing subject retention efforts, which include annual mailings, an annual event, and a small gift for all Clinical Core participants, as well as additional activities designed to specifically retain minority participants at a high level. Through these efforts, the ORE Core strives to ensure that our community outreach and recruitment efforts reflect the input, interests, and needs of the community, so that ADRD research conducted at the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center can foster improved approaches to risk reduction and treatments that benefit all individuals.