The Administrative Core (AC) of the UCLA ADRC provides coordination and integration of ADRC components and activities;oversees future planning and optimal utilization of resources;organizes support and advice for the ADRC Director and leadership;facilitates interaction between scientific and lay communities to develop relevant goals for the ADRC;coordinates and organizes external and internal advisory committee meetings;hosts the pilot project program;assures compliance with all IRB, animal welfare and HIPAA regulations, enhances interactions with other centers, the NACC, and outside research projects;ensures timely and routine transmission of appropriate UDS data to the NACC, interacts with other related research programs of UCLA;and coordinates with NIA media coverage of latest research findings from the Center. The AC has been instrumental in developing center wide consensus around The Therapeutic Imperative as the central focus of UCLA ADRC related activities. This focus provides a rationale for future planning, resource utilization, core activities, pilot project handling and project selection for this renewal application. The theme builds on well-developed capacities at UCLA for phenotype characterizations (e.g. Neuropsychiatric features) and neuroimging. The AC has been very successful at attracting donor support for UCLA ADRC activities in the past grant cycle and has developed strategies to pursue philanthropic support to leverage ADRC activities. AC leads interactions with relevant community programs (Alzheimer's Association, Leeza's Places), and other relevant activities at UCLA (Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease, Center on Aging, Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics and others). The AC has been successful in attracting new investigators to the ADRC and in supporting junior investigators. The administrative structure of the UCLA ADRC has expanded to include John Ringman, MD as Assistant Director of the Center. Dr. Ringman will help provide leadership in the clinical arena, while Dr. Cole will continue as Associate Director, providing leadership in basic science and pilot project selection for the ADRC. The AC proposes several new initiatives in this renewal proposal, including a Board of Trustees, and enhanced collaborative activities with the Recruitment and Education Core and the NIA to disseminate research advances based on UCLA ADRC achievements. The AC is instrumental is developing a collaboration with Harbor UCLA Medical Center as a clinical satellite site in order to enhance minority enrollment.
Approximately 5,000,000 people suffer from AD in the U.S. California is home to the largest U.S. population of elderly citizens;nearly one-third live in Los Angeles County. Projections indicate that by 2030 those over 65 will represent almost 20% of the county's population. There is an urgent need for AD research in Los Angeles to adequately diagnose and intervene against AD. This is the unifying focus of the UCLA ADRC.
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