The Education/Information Transfer core (E/ITC) is designed to provide education and information transfer to three domains -- the Alzheimer's Disease Center (ADC), the University, and the Community. During the first funding period, the E/ITC made considerable progress in each domain: (1) Regular Clinician Rater Training Sessions were conducted using several Clinical Core assessment instruments, with resultant inter-rater diagnostic agreements of > 90%. (2) A majority of previous fellows who participated in the ADC are now involved in clinical and research activities related to Alzheimer disease (AD). (3) Nearly 2,000 practicing physicians, fellows, and faculty were trained through conferences developed by or in collaboration with the E/ITC. During the next funding period, the E/ITC plans to continue enhancing clinical and research skills in AD and related dementias by training physicians and other professionals to provide research-level assessments and clinical diagnoses on subjects enrolled in the Clinical Core, using videotape technology to ensure inter- rater reliability. The E/ITC will also offer educational programs. Community education will be facilitated through liaisons with media representatives, and key local personnel will be included in ADC educational activities in coordination with other local universities (particularly the Los Angeles and Orange Counties ADRC Consortium), hospitals, and community agencies. Community professionals (especially primary care physicians), family members, and long-term care providers will also be addressed through a Speakers Bureau, Annual Conference, and newsletters. Activities will emphasize subject recruitment for the Clinical Lcore. The E/ITC will assist the Administrative Core in disseminating information about current research and education through a newsletter, Basic Science Guest Lectureship, and other programs. The E/ITC will also assist the Clinical and Neuropathology Cores by providing families with material relevant to postmortem tissue donation. The E/ITC will translate the community newsletter into Spanish and include minority representatives in educational activities, thus facilitating information transfer to ethnic minorities. Finally, systematic evaluation strategies will ensure that the E/ITC meets its objectives.
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