Promoting High-Impact Alzheimer’s Disease Research through the Use of Statewide Registries

The proposed project establishes an annual conference entitled, “Promoting High-Impact Alzheimer’s Disease Research.” The specific aims of the conference series are to: 1) Provide a forum for all interested researchers, community members, policy makers and other stakeholders to learn about and engage with current research projects and initiatives addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD); 2) Provide a mechanism to support ongoing networking among researchers, community members, policy makers, and other stakeholders; and 3) Conduct process and outcome evaluations of the program, making modifications as needed. The proposed conference series leverages the MPIs’ successful leadership in providing mentoring to faculty and students through several active NIA-supported mechanisms. Similarly to our NIA-funded projects, the conference series will extend our statewide collaborations with Clemson University, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Claflin University, Allen University, and South Carolina State University. Additional partners include the only other active statewide AD registries in the United States (US), which are located in Georgia, West Virginia, and South Carolina (the last of which is housed within an office that was co-directed by MPI Friedman). Additional NIA-funded partners include researchers affiliated with the UCLA RCMAR Coordinating Center, University of Southern California (USC) AD-RCMAR, and USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health. The conference series will contribute to our ultimate goal of increasing the research workforce in aging and advancing the science on ADRD.