Research Education Core

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RESEARCH EDUCATION COMPONENT PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), a rapidly developing field has gained comprehensive insights into a host of likely complementary disease mechanisms, shedding light on relevant genetic and environmental factors, a continuum of neuropathological abnormalities, biomarkers that represent the earliest stages of disease, and an array of clinical presentations. Yet, large gaps in knowledge remain regarding disease modeling, genetics and pathophysiology, and of course, treatment. The Columbia University (CU) Research Education Component (REC) will be a comprehensive training program to effectively and efficiently develop the next generation of ADRD leaders poised to make breakthroughs in ADRD research through both established and novel research methods. The CU REC Training Program will provide training for researchers comprising two distinct groups: a) those entering ADRD research through conventional training paths (e.g., neurologists, neuropsychologists, basic and translational researchers) with great promise to contribute to the field in the near term, and b) researchers from non-conventional paths (e.g., bioinformatics/data science, engineering, public health, and allied health) who have demonstrated unique and accomplished research skills, which if reoriented to ADRD, could make novel and important impacts on ADRD research. The REC Training Program enhances primary aims of the CU ADRC: to enable and enhance ongoing research efforts in ADRD at CU, and support a diverse group of ADRD researchers making these discoveries. The CU REC Training Program provides a structured framework that promising junior researchers, identified through our vast institutional research infrastructure, can leverage to establish successful careers in ADRD. With ongoing, multidisciplinary mentorship tied to a structured research project, effectively supported junior researchers can independently develop hypotheses, critically appraise related literature, and frame a sophisticated approach to an appropriately honed research question. Training will include an individualized development plan tailored to each trainee and his or her current and future career steps, enabling a foundational understanding from which to launch a successful research career. This program will build upon the longstanding practices of the CU ADRC and Department of Neurology, the latter having the highest track record of trainees becoming academic neurologists of any institution in the world. In sum, the overarching goal of the REC Training Program is to develop the next generation of ADRD researchers by: 1) identifying 3-5 junior investigators with promise for making significant contributions to the field of ADRD (Aim 1); 2) drawing trainees from ADRD fields as well as fields beyond traditional pathways to ADRD research, especially those from diverse backgrounds (Aim 2); and 3) providing all trainees with an individualized development plan that includes multidisciplinary mentorship, experiences within the expansive internal research and education program at CU, and an integrated plan to understand how to access and achieve sustained grant support towards next career steps (Aim 3).