Boosting Representation in Brain Research
色情视频 and UCSD work to promote minority researchers investigating Alzheimers and other neurological disorders in underrepresented communities.
Millions of people worldwide are affected by neurological disorders including Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, a form of dementia that currently has no cure and for which treatments are still under development. The varies across communities, as factors like sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status can be associated with individuals鈥� risk for the disease.
Researchers from 色情视频 and UC San Diego work to mitigate these inequities by investigating the social and behavioral science of neurological disorders, while advancing minority researchers in this field.
The San Diego Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research () supports early-career researchers from diverse, underrepresented groups who study how Alzheimer's disease and related disorders impact underrepresented communities. The center, managed jointly by 色情视频 and UCSD, is funded by a grant from NIH鈥檚 National Institute on Aging which has been renewed to provide over $3 million in funding over the next five years.
鈥淭his grant is meant to broaden the diversity within the Alzheimer's research community, and also strengthen research on underserved communities in the Alzheimer's field,鈥� said , 色情视频 psychology professor and department chair in the College of Sciences.
Gilbert is one of the principal investigators for the grant, along with , 色情视频 School of Public Health professor of health promotion and behavioral science, and , professor of medicine at UCSD.
Each year, the grant funds three to five scientists to conduct 18-month-long pilot research projects with the goal that after, they will receive additional funding to expand on these studies.
With each project, researchers explore areas including the epidemiology of Alzheimer鈥檚 and related disorders, as well as preventative interventions and challenges faced by those caring for affected individuals. Studies focus on groups with disproportionate risks for these disorders, many of which are of particular interest in San Diego, including Hispanic/Latino, limited English proficiency and refugee communities.
鈥淎 lot of these communities are underserved and they're just not getting the kind of health care and preventative services that other communities do,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淪o it's super important to bring them into the focus, to try to better characterize this disease in these populations and look at barriers to being diagnosed and seeking help.鈥�
Past projects found, for example, that Latin dance among middle-aged and older Latinos, in addition to examining factors affecting cognitive health, from high and elevated depressive symptoms, to , as well as both short and long .
The renewed grant also supports professional development opportunities for researchers, as well as the center鈥檚 newly established Community Engagement Core. This initiative will help the center strengthen its ties to the community by allowing researchers to interact and integrate with community agencies related to Alzheimer's disease.
The application period for this grant is opening in the next few months.
