Expanding the Pipeline to Graduate Research in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (EPGRAD) Program

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Project Summary The proportion of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to increase over the next few decades and the number of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is also expected to increase substantially. To adequately serve this growing population, we need to make considerable progress in understanding ADRD and in developing evidence-based practices for prevention and care. As the US population ages, it is also becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Despite this fact, the racial and ethnic diversity of those focusing on ADRD research does not reflect the diversity of the population that bears the high burden of ADRD. This is problematic, as the ability to be responsive to ADRD needs of such a population will require culturally informed approaches and diverse investigators with appropriate knowledge and skills. Information about and opportunities to enter the ADRD research workforce are not equally available to all, which may be why few students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds pursue graduate study or careers in this area. In order to address these issues, we propose to establish a summer program and mentorship network that expands the pipeline of students from underrepresented groups who decide to pursue graduate study and, ultimately, careers in ADRD-related research areas. The proposed program will be jointly administered by two world-class research institutions in two of the nation’s biomedical and public health research hubs: George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC and Boston University (BU) in Boston, MA. Faculty from GWU’s Institute for Brain Health and Dementia will work in collaboration with faculty from BU’s Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program (FHSBAP) to mentor program participants as they work on ADRD-related research projects. The program will provide structured and suitably-tailored didactic, research, and social experiences for participants that will serve to elicit and magnify interest in ADRD research, develop skills that will make them competitive applicants for graduate study, and provide a network of mentors who will engage with them as they navigate the path from undergraduate to graduate study.