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

项目摘要 在接下来的几十年里，65岁以上的美国人的比例预计会增加， 患有阿尔茨海默病和相关痴呆症(ADRD)的人数预计也会增加 基本上是这样的。为了充分服务这一不断增长的人口，我们需要在以下方面取得重大进展 了解ADRD并为预防和护理制定循证做法。作为美国 随着人口老龄化，它的种族和民族多样性也变得更加多样化。尽管如此，种族和 那些专注于ADRD研究的人的种族多样性并没有反映出 ADRD的沉重负担。这是有问题的，因为能够响应ADRD的需求 人口将需要了解文化知识的方法和具有适当知识的多样化调查人员 和技能。进入ADRD研究队伍的信息和机会并不平等 对所有人来说，这可能是为什么很少有来自种族和少数民族背景的学生攻读研究生或 这一领域的职业。为了解决这些问题，我们提议建立一个暑期计划，并 导师网络，扩大来自代表不足的群体的学生渠道，这些学生决定继续 研究生学习，并最终在与ADRD相关的研究领域就业。拟议的计划将联合 由两个世界级的研究机构管理，分别是国家的生物医学和公共卫生 研究中心：华盛顿特区的乔治华盛顿大学(GWU)和波士顿大学(BU) 马萨诸塞州波士顿乔治华盛顿大学脑健康和痴呆症研究所的教职员工将与教职员工合作 从BU的Framingham心脏研究大脑老化计划(FHSBAP)到指导计划参与者 开展与ADRD相关的研究项目。该计划将提供有组织的和适当定制的教学， 研究和参与者的社会经验，将有助于引起和扩大对ADRD研究的兴趣， 培养技能，使他们成为研究生学习的有竞争力的申请者，并提供一个导师网络 在他们从本科生到研究生学习的过程中，他们将与他们接触。

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.