HABS-HD - Core G - Development Core

University Of North Texas Hlth Sci Ctr, Fort Worth TX

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

There is a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD related disorders (ADRDs) among underserved groups, especially African American and Hispanic populations. This excess AD/ADRD morbidity, and its attendant socioeconomic costs, is expected to get even larger given that older adults are a rapidly expanding segment of the U.S. population. Specifically, epidemiological projections indicate that by 2060 the U.S. will become considerably “non-white,” as reflected by a 42% increase in the percentage of African Americans and a 114% increase in the percentage of persons of Hispanic origin, compared to an 8.2% decrease in the proportion of non-Hispanic whites. In light of the growing segment of the aging U.S. population, it is imperative to curate educational opportunities that foster the training of a workforce ready to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral, clinical and translational needs in AD/ADRDs. Such opportunities would help ensure the availability of a pipeline of competent professionals prepared to study, evaluate, diagnose, and treat older adults with ADRDs. Therefore, the overarching objective of the Development Core of the Health & Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD) is to recruit, support, and provide targeted mentored training to an annual cohort of trainees (graduate/professional students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career investigators, to be known as HABS-HD Fellows) to ensure their research proficiency and competency in aging research. We will equip them with the conceptual knowledgebase, practical skillset, and allied resources that will be beneficial for launching successful independent research careers in the AD/ADRD field. Trainees from all backgrounds who have a commitment to health disparities research will be included in this mentorship opportunity, as our ultimate goal is to address the current shortage of competent AD/ADRD workforce to keep up the growth trends of older adults in the U.S. To address our objective, the Development Core will address the following Specific Aims: Aim 1: Deliver a targeted mentored training program to ensure research proficiency and competency. Aim 2. Measure the effectiveness of the HABS-HD mentored training program.