External Resources and Dissemination Core

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Project Abstract (Research Resources Core) The Research Resources Core (RRC) will support the overarching objective of the CAPRA to accelerate and expand multidisciplinary population-based AD/ADRD research by the development of robust research resources. This core will be dedicated to advancing large population-based research using a variety of rich secondary data sources in order to uncover and shed light on the complex and intertwined social, economic, and health systems effects of AD/ADRD. However, undertaking such analyses requires that researchers understand and surmount specific challenges, including: identifying relevant cohorts of older adults with demonstrated cognitive decline and/or dementia; monitoring short-term and long-term outcomes; and appreciating the local care-delivery environment. Through this core, we will package, create, and facilitate access to databases that help researchers identify relevant cohorts, outcomes of interest, and community factors—to help lower the barriers to their entry to the AD/ADRD research community. Data sources for AD/ADRD research that will be leveraged include Medicare administrative and assessment data, the Health and Retirement Study, the Michigan Long-term Services & Supports Data Archive and relevant publicly available population-based national health surveys. Research-identifiable Medicare and assessment data is both expensive to acquire and requires considerable analyst training; therefore, research with such data are often out-of-reach for researchers. However, simply facilitating access for researchers to Medicare and other large, complex health and healthcare datasets is not sufficient to ensure researchers can conduct rigorous and impactful research, particularly among early stage researchers or those new to AD/ADRD research. In this core, we will lower barriers and make high-quality data functionally accessible to AD/ADRD researchers by providing training products, aggregate data, and algorithms relevant to the field. In doing so, the RRC will also develop and disseminate a series of innovative research training activities, including the Current Topics in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Research podcast & blog (the “CAPRAcast”) and a webinar series devoted to training AD/ADRD researchers (the “CAPRAclass”). We will leverage the expansive, multidisciplinary AD/ADRD research expertise at the University of Michigan and partnered external collaborators to develop resources necessary to support a wide array of AD/ADRD research. The RRC will support and foster multidisciplinary, population-based AD/ADRD research by the development of rigorous AD/ADRD-specific training, the creation and dissemination of research tools, and the provision of access to high-quality data. In this way the core will work synergistically with the other CAPRA cores by providing robust AD/ADRD research resources and training that support the overarching center aims.