- INCLUSION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS CORE (CORE F) The Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups (URG) Core currently works with the Clinical; Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement (ORE); Data Management and Statistical; and Biomarker Cores to identify and resolve the barriers to research participation for African and Native Americans. In this third round of Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) funding, the URG Core will continue to be fully integrated with the Center, assisting investigators to engage Native and African American communities, ensuring adequate inclusion to answer scientific questions and optimize generalizability of findings. The URG Core's effort will include recruitment of middle-aged URG participants. Ages 45 to 65, this cohort is known as our IMPACT participants (Investigating Memory in Preclinical AD-Causes and Treatment). The URG Core will also emphasize retention of existing URG participants and replenishment of URG participants who have left the Clinical Core. Toward this, we will accomplish the following Specific Aims:
Aim 1 : Working with the ORE and Clinical Cores, the URG Core will promote recruitment, retention, and replenishment of participants from URG into the Clinical Core so that URG membership continues to represent more than 20% of the overall Clinical Core membership. Sub-Aim 1a: Through collaborations with the African American community, the URG core will promote recruitment, retention and replenishment of African American participants into the Clinical Core. Sub-Aim 1b: Through collaborations with the Native American community, the URG core will promote recruitment, retention and replenishment of Native American participants into the Clinical Core.
Aim 2 : In concert with the Biomarkers Core, the URG Core will promote recruitment and retention of participants from URG into biomarkers studies, including the collection of cerebrospinal fluid, amyloid and tau PET imaging, and other novel neuroimaging and biomarker studies.
Aim 3 : URG Core will provide consultation and support for approved Center-affiliated studies seeking to recruit and retain research participants from URGs into research protocols, clinical trials. and autopsy. Recent publications suggest that African and Native Americans demonstrate the highest prevalence and incidence of both early-onset and late-onset cases of AD and related dementias. As a result, it is imperative to develop AD treatment and prevention strategies effective for a heterogeneous US population, especially those segments most affected by AD and related disorders. The URG Core's role is to ensure adequate inclusion of URG into the Clinical Core and Wisconsin ADRC-affiliated studies so that AD-related health disparities are fully addressed. Our past and future successes are founded on a model of programmatic community engagement.
