From left: PMC community partner Frederick Okoye, PMC Co-Director Jason Karlawish, and PMC ambassador Karen Wheeler pose with Alpha Phi Alpha brothers after “Alzheimer’s in our Community.”
Black and African American adults are more likely than other groups to develop Alzheimer’s disease or related disorders but are poorly represented in Alzheimer’s disease research, including recent clinical trials. The lack of Black and African American representation in research creates a barrier in understanding how the disease effects this high-risk population and hinders the development of equitable treatments. This health disparity emphasizes the importance of Black and African American individuals being better represented in clinical research in order to benefit from advances in the field if given increased access.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) program awarded a $3.5 million grant to PMC researchers and community partners to address the underrepresentation of Black adults in Alzheimer’s disease research. The grant supports the Aging Brain Cohort Dedicated to Diversity (ABCD2) study, a research and training initiative led by David Wolk, MD, co-director of PMC and director of the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
PMC Outreach plays a vital role in recruiting Black adults to participate in ABCD2.