Outreach, Recruitment and Education

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT - OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT, AND EDUCATION CORE Since its inception, the Mayo Outreach, Recruitment, and Education Core (OREC; formerly the Education & Information Transfer Core) has actively served our patients, their caregivers, local communities, and care providers through both independent and collaborative efforts. Going forward under the new application, our activities align closely with the goals of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease to increase awareness of ADRC activity, educate the public about AD and non-AD dementia, partner with care providers across all levels to enhance dementia care quality and efficiency, and provide education and support programs to patients with dementia and their families. To achieve these goals, our core will leverage electronic and social media and deliver new and innovative support programs for patients and caregivers. We will continue to assist the Clinical Core in recruitment and retention of participants for center and center-related studies, including clinical trials and national biomarker and genetics initiatives. We will extend our outreach and educational activities to support the center-affiliated Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, which shares data on cognitively normal older adults with ADRC investigators. Importantly, the Mayo OREC will provide education, support services, and programs to traditionally underserved populations (i.e., rural residents in Rochester; African American elders in Jacksonville), thereby facilitating representation of these demographics in ADRC research. ADRC investigators and personnel will continue to support OREC goals by participating in educational programs and activities in international, national, regional, local, and institutional venues. These activities include traditional research presentations at scientific meetings, training and education of professionals and paraprofessionals, and support and education services for patients and caregivers. We will continue to contribute to the leadership of, and work synergistically with, the Alzheimer's Association, organizations representing the interests of patients with non-AD dementia, and other local, state, and national entities invested in dementia education and patient care needs. We will continue to promote and cultivate programs to educate and train the next generation of dementia investigators and clinicians by providing access to high quality, evidence-based training activities and continuing to partner with Mayo's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. We will also continue our tradition of strongly supporting junior and minority investigators. In summary, the OREC going forward will maintain its past strengths, address all requirements of the current RFP, and continue to support the Center in achieving its recruitment goals.