NIA Academic Leadership Career Award

Alzheimer’s disease is a national public health issue. Structural and interpersonal factors contribute to poor Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) outcomes, including poor access to healthcare and medical resources, material and food insecurity, adverse childhood experiences, and neighborhood disadvantage. I am committed to developing and implementing training programs that increase the research workforce focused on the science of ADRD. I have had a fruitful research career that involves mentoring faculty members and students in community engagement methods, health communication principles, and dissemination and implementation science - each independently – as related to ADRD and other chronic diseases. With this siloed approach, junior scholars are at a disadvantage and may have limited skills and training in applying these strategies together for truly impactful public health outcomes. The proposed program will integrate these fields into a comprehensive training program to effectively address how non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) influence ADRD outcomes. With this K07 award, I will develop and formalize such a program to provide in-depth training and mentorship to 12 junior scholars (and engage several additional researchers in seminars and workshops) with a team of interdisciplinary program faculty and visiting scientists. Specific aims are to: (1) Establish and implement a research training program (curriculum development, pilot award funding for faculty, and seminars and workshops) to build capacity and expertise in the integration of community engagement, health communication, and implementation science research that will advance the science on NMDoH that influence ADRD-related health outcomes; (2) Provide mentoring and a mentor network for early-career faculty members in applying innovative community engagement, health communication, and implementation science frameworks to advance the science of NMDoH and ADRD outcomes; and (3) Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all K07 activities and work toward institutionalizing this initiative. This award will provide an opportunity to meaningfully integrate relevant disciplines into a comprehensive and interdisciplinary training for advancing the science of ADRD.