The KU ADCC Education Core has excelled in education and outreach to the lay public and to healthcare professionals regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since 2004, the Education Core has provided educational programming to 11,810 healthcare professionals and laypersons. The Education Core has also been effective in recruiting and retaining research participants in clinical trials of the Clinical Core. Our recruitment in four Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) clinical trials has been among the highest enrolling sites in all four studies. Our retention has also been commendable with 90% retention in the ADCS studies, and overall retention in a two-year longitudinal study is 86%. The Education Core will continue to build on its success.
The specific aims of the Education Core are to 1) recruit and retain subjects for the KU ADCC Clinical Cohort and Clinical Trial Unit, 2) support training of students and health professionals on clinical and research skills related to AD and other dementias, and 3) raise awareness of AD and the KU ADCC to the lay public and academic communities. Specifically, we will emphasize minority recruitment with a goal of 12%. Two NIH-funded research groups involved in African American and American Indian community health have pledged their support of the KU ADCC and have shared their effective minority recruitment and retention strategies with the Education Core. General recruitment will also be enhanced by broadening the scope of recruitment efforts. Our educational programming is strong, and we will strengthen the evaluation process for these educational opportunities to ensure quality and effective programming. We will also build on our publicity campaign for the KU ADCC with an emphasis on recruitment of potential AD investigators and solicitation of ADCC-sponsored pilot program grant applications. Several programs are in place for the development of clinical and research skills related to AD, and publicity of the programming will be enhanced. In a short time, KU ADCC has become a leader in AD education and research. Through the above aims, the Education Core anticipates continued growth in AD research, recruitment, and educational opportunities.
The KU ADCC Education Core is relevant to public health because the Core's purpose is to educate the lay and healthcare communities about the evaluation, treatment, and future of AD. Public health will benefit by advancement of AD research, and the Education Core will recruit subjects for AD research, educate the public about AD and the KU ADCC, and assist researchers develop clinical and research skills related to AD.
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