This request, responsive to PAR-17-290, seeks to renew NIA sponsorship for our R25 award entitled ?Frontiers in Alzheimer?s and Aging Research (FrA2R: R25 AG043365-05),? within NIA?s ?Advancing Diversity in Aging Research through Undergraduate Education? program. Designed for competitive advanced undergraduate students, especially under-represented minorities (URMs), FrA2R provides innovative, sophisticated research education in Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and aging mechanisms. To ensure that the next generation of Alzheimer?s and aging researchers have advanced training opportunities, we offer the FrA2R course at Morehouse School of Medicine (2019, 2021, 2023) and Xavier University of Louisiana (2020 and 2022). In so doing, we will continue to enhance and expand the research careers of the most promising scientists, with sensitivity to ensuring full diversity in the NIA workforce. Importantly, the ADRD and aging fields continue to grow swiftly, yet there are too few laboratories led by URM scientists and too few new URM trainees. FrA2R is under the directorship of Gerald Schatten, PhD, from Pittsburgh, along with S. Michal Jazwinski, PhD, from Tulane and Laura Niedernhofer, MD, PhD, from Scripps, as Co-Is, together with Training/Mentoring Coordinators Harris McFerrin, PhD, from Xavier, Calvin Simerly, PhD, from Pitt, and Winston Thompson, PhD, from Morehouse; together they comprise the Executive Committee. It is overseen by a scientific advisory board composed of ADRD and aging-research luminaries. FrA2R offers dynamic advanced training courses consisting of daily lectures and extended discussion on emerging concepts, followed by laboratory research and technologically intense workshops and informal seminars over week-long periods (first renewal offering May 12-18, 2019 at Morehouse). This advanced instruction provides ?hands-on? training for 16 highly competitive participants (the ratio of applicant inquiries to accepted candidates is >4.3:1) on Alzheimer?s root causes and mechanisms of aging. After the course, frequent interactions are maintained with each trainee. Of the 80 trainees, 39% identify as African-American and 19% as Hispanic-American; 70% are women, and 44% are from URM institutions. Early results show that they are progressing in Alzheimer?s and aging-research careers, as MDs, MD-PhDs, or PhDs. The five aims are to: I. Provide conceptual education and laboratory training in the sophisticated methods and emerging discoveries on Alzheimer?s and aging mechanisms, especially as relevant for our African-American communities. II. Demystify the regulatory oversight requirements by training in responsible conduct of research, the ethical, legal and societal implications, and especially problems of diversity and health disparities. III. Support mentored pilot research projects; IV. Encourage trainees? and alumni?s longer-term career planning; V. Evaluate, improve and monitor FrA2R?s strengths and avoid weaknesses with unbiased, quantitative independent mechanisms.
This request, responsive to PAR-17-290, seeks to renew NIA sponsorship for our R25 award entitled ?Frontiers in Alzheimer?s and Aging Research (FrA2R: R25 AG043365-05),? within NIA?s ?Advancing Diversity in Aging Research through Undergraduate Education? program and is designed for competitive advanced undergraduate students, especially under-represented minorities (URMs). The fields of Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and the Mechanisms of Aging continue to grow swiftly, yet there are too few laboratories led by URM scientists and too few new URM trainees. FrA2R advanced training courses will be held at Morehouse School of Medicine in 2019, 2021, and 2023 and Xavier University of Louisiana in 2020 and 2022, and, in so doing, we will continue to enhance and expand the research careers of the most promising scientists, with sensitivity to ensuring full diversity in the NIA workforce by providing innovative, sophisticated research education in Alzheimer?s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and aging mechanisms, followed by mentored research experiences and on-going career counseling.
