Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

SUMMARY OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT CORE The Stanford ADRC Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core (OREC) will contribute to the goals of the Center by engaging diverse patients, their caregivers, and key stakeholders in all research activities with the goal of reducing the burden and disparities of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). To reflect the demographics of our local region and with strategic guidance from our External Advisory Committee, the OREC will focus on engaging Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups, as well as military veterans. These groups are disproportionately impacted by AD/ADRD and underserved by healthcare and social service agencies. This lack of engagement results in underrepresentation in AD/ADRD research, a paucity of research that responds to culturally-specific AD/ADRD needs, limited access to the benefits of research, and missed opportunities to promote trustworthiness in research findings, among other adverse consequences. To effectively address the AD/ADRD inequities among communities of color such as Latinx, Indigenous and AAPI, it is critical to develop effective strategies of engagement as research partners. Employing a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, the OREC will collaborate with other Cores, the Community Advisory Board (CAB), and community partners to promote inclusive participation of Latinx, AAPI and veterans in the Stanford ADRC and AD/ADRD research. In recognition of the importance of engaging underrepresented patients in our research, our Center has established a goal of 25% of research participants from underrepresented backgrounds by Year 5. A strong and highly engaged CAB representing patients, their caregivers, and organizations that serve the Latinx, AAPI, and veteran communities is central to all ADRC engagement and recruitment efforts. The OREC and CAB are supported by a strong and diverse network of community partners. We will implement evidence-based strategies for successful recruitment and retention, build on our existing infrastructure and strategies, as well as implement novel strategies such as training Community Health Workers to achieve our recruitment goals. We will focus on returning research results to participants as well as sharing findings with our broader community in collaboration with the CAB and network of community partners. We have designed a robust mixed-methods evaluation based on our logic model that we developed with our CAB to assess our effectiveness and contribute to the evidence for engagement of diverse communities in AD/ADRD research.