Research Education Component

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

REVISED ABSTRACT: The overarching objective of the Research Education Component (REC) is to continue to provide a carefully structured curriculum and comprehensive and innovative mentoring leading to enduring careers of investigators in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) research focusing on health and consideration of social factors, and health system factors, across the life course. Our renewal application supports mentoring JHAD-RCMAR Scientists’ research encompassing the epidemiology of dementia and development, testing, and implementation of novel interventions for older adults from different social and economic groups and care providers to enhance health and functioning. Mentoring relationships include early-career researchers and/or mid-career scientists newly transitioning into AD/ADRD research focusing on aging on different social and economic groups. The REC leverages infrastructure and advanced mentoring practices that focus on variations in health across groups, cognitive decline, AD/ADRD, and aging on different social and economic groups within and across Johns Hopkins centers, as well as relevant faculty and resources at Morgan State University and North Carolina A&T University. We set out a plan to assure successful mentoring of, and collaboration with, researchers pursuing careers in the focused area of this AD-RCMAR: novel approaches to enhance and maintain cognitive health and function and reduce AD/ADRD dementia risk among older adults from different social and economic groups. Our REC is structured to mentor JHAD-RCMAR Scientists to be successful with developing and carrying out pilot projects and includes structured longitudinal mentorship for RCMAR Scientists, which will support independent, NIA-funded research careers focused on health and AD/ADRD research among older adults, particularly older adults from different social and economic groups. The REC will also develop and maintain a process for facilitating and tracking the evolution of scientists from pilot to independent investigators, and evaluation of the REC, and participating in an annual reporting procedure. To accomplish the specific aims, the REC will maintain the infrastructure necessary to recruit, develop, and support early-career researchers and/or mid-career scientists newly transitioning into AD/ADRD. This yields a cadre of new investigators who are committed to a research portfolio focused on health and research on aging on different social and economic groups as it relates to AD/ADRD. This goal will be largely achieved by cultivating cutting edge pilot studies that will lead to a greater understanding of variations across groups in AD/ADRD, and AD/ADRD among all populations.