The Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research

The Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health of the Johns Hopkins University are proposing to renew the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease RCMAR in response to RFA-AG-23-025. The aims of this application are to: (1) mentor early-stage investigators in aging on different social and economic groups and health research, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD), using a life course perspective encompassing biological, behavioral, and community factors contributing to cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults; (2) conduct epidemiological, preventive, and intervention research that addresses AD/ADRD in later life within a multi-level framework that encompasses individuals, families, social networks, and communities; and 3) engage communities and care providers – especially family caregivers, primary care practices, communities of faith, and community organizations – as our partners in recognizing dementia and developing interventions with the potential to prevent cognitive decline and reduce AD/ADRD dementia risk in older adults from different social and economic groups. The JHAD-RCMAR consists of: (1) a Leadership and Administrative Core whose function is to provide governance and an administrative structure, to support research, to foster interactions between Cores and other Centers and Universities, and to ensure RCMAR Scientists develop mentoring relationships across the affiliated departments, schools, and nationally; (2) a Research Education Component to foster junior investigators and mid-career investigators transitioning into ADRD-relevant research through support for individual pilot projects, career mentoring, scholar-to-scholar interactions, and role modeling; (3) a Community-Liaison and Recruitment Core to ensure the relevance of the AD/ADRD research and to increase knowledge of engagement of community members in the research enterprise with the further development of a Community Resource Institute as a venue for community-investigator interaction; and (4) an Analysis Core as a foundation for methodological and statistical training, including education and mentoring in mixed-methods research. An Executive Committee includes community representatives, and an External Advisory Committee consists of distinguished investigators with relevant expertise in aging on different social and economic groups and AD/ADRD. A pilot project program supported by all Cores to facilitate the development of RCMAR Scientists includes three initial pilot projects focusing on legal needs of men with dementia and their care partners; Closing the economic gap in cognitive health; and Dementia caregiving experiences for older parents Our renewal reflects our interdisciplinary team’s desire to continue mentoring and advancing research on aging on different social and economic groups on AD/ADRD.