Leadership to Enhance Aging Research and Innovation in Medical Culture (LEARN-MC)

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Project Abstract/Summary There is currently no known prevention, cure, or effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) even as the number of people with ADRD is projected to increase dramatically as the population ages. Policymakers, advocates, clinicians, patients, and caregivers have asked the research community to improve our understanding of the cultural dynamics surrounding ADRD in order to develop effective, evidence-based, and sustainable approaches for caring for ADRD-impacted populations. The premise of this application is that there is a need for increased research capacity to advance our understanding of culture, aging, and ADRD and help address the challenge presented by the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. This application for an Academic Leadership Award is entitled Leadership to Enhance Aging Research and iNnovation in Medical Culture (LEARN-MC). It aims to enhance the capacity of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) to conduct research on aging and medical culture in the context of ADRD. LEARN-MC will be based in the UCSF Medical Cultures Lab (MCL). It reflects the PI’s training in sociology of culture and ethnography, his research track record on medical culture, and his experience developing educational and training programs. LEARN-MC will build on and expand on existing relationships with multiple communities conducting ADRD research at UCSF including the Departments of Neurology and Surgery, Divisions of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, and the Global Brain Health Institute. LEARN-MC has three specific aims. Aim 1: Create and maintain a resource library that synthesizes scholarship on medical culture, aging, and ADRD from anthropology, geriatrics, gerontology, sociology, and related fields. Aim 2: Develop courses on medical culture, ADRD, and aging to be taught in coordination with existing UCSF teaching and training programs to learners at diverse career stages. Aim 3: Establish the Medical Cultures Lab (MCL) as a center of excellence for research on medical culture, aging, and ADRD. Expand MCL’s role as a mentorship hub for aging and ADRD research at UCSF. Use public events and social media to establish MCL as a thought leader among policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the lay public.