The goal of the Research Education Component (REC) of the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC) is to develop a dynamic training pipeline to meet the nation's needs for a diverse clinical translational workforce in Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD). The REC will accelerate the career development of trainees along the training continuum by leveraging the rich research and training resources available at Washington University and with collaborators nationally. The long-term goal of the REC is to develop independent ADRD researchers.
The Aims of the REC are to: (1) Create and evaluate a comprehensive training program in ADRD research for trainees from diverse disciplines at Washington University. The REC will provide training in a set of core research competencies using individual development plans to address diversity in training and stage of career development. (2) Develop a comprehensive mentor training and support program for junior and senior faculty in ADRD research, focused on training investigators to mentor underrepresented minorities (URM). (3) Increase recruitment, training, and success for underrepresented groups, women, and people with disabilities. Trainees will have access to mentored research, didactic training, seminars, national and international meetings, residency programs with the Knight ADRC Cores, externships, short training programs, and career development programming. They will be integrated into Knight ADRC research teams. Mentors will receive comprehensive training, including in how to mentor URM trainees. We will focus on recruiting and retaining URM trainees along the training continuum through a series of outreach programs and through partnerships with strong training programs at the University of Rochester and Meharry Medical College. Upon achieving these Aims, we will have a comprehensive research education component that will capitalize on the rich resources of Washington University to spark interest in and accelerate the training of diverse trainees in ADRD research.
