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Principal Investigator: Christian R Salazar
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $137,092
Funding agency: National Institute on Aging
Project Summary
Despite longstanding efforts to improve recruitment of minorities into Alzheimer’s Disease and Related
Dementias (ADRD) research, US Hispanics/Latinos continue to be severely underrepresented in ADRD
randomized clinical trials. Greater representation of Hispanics/Latinos is critical to ensure the safety and efficacy
of interventions and the generalizability of results across an increasingly diverse US population. Preclinical AD
trials will be essential in the pursuit of improved ADRD therapies and are unique in requiring asymptomatic
individuals to undergo biomarker testing and to enroll with a study partner. It is unclear, however, whether these
unique requirements pose a specific challenge to the recruitment of Hispanics/Latinos into preclinical AD trials.
It is imperative that we discover and test novel interventions to improve recruitment of Hispanics/Latinos to these
trials. Given my background as an epidemiologist with a solid foundation in health disparities research, I have
the dedication for undertaking this research. Through this K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development
Award, I propose to receive the necessary training and research experience to address several gaps and become
a leader in ADRD recruitment science. My overarching hypothesis is that older Hispanics/Latinos are less willing
than their Non-Hispanic (NHW) counterparts to participate in preclinical AD trials, due in part to modifiable
behavioral factors amenable to intervention. To test this hypothesis, I propose three specific research aims: (1)
First, I will examine differences in willingness to participate in preclinical AD trials between diverse
Hispanics/Latinos and Non-Hispanic whites (NHW) from a national population-based sample of 1,800 older
adults who respond to a web panel survey. (2) Next, through in-person cognitive interviews, I will identify key
behavioral determinants of intention to participation in a sample of 100 local community dwelling older
Hispanics/Latinos, with a particular focus on contextual factors, cultural beliefs/values, research literacy, previous
experiences with the healthcare system, research attitudes and perceived need/benefit. (3) Lastly, I will use an
Intervention Mapping planning approach to systematically develop and pilot test a behavioral intervention that is
culturally and linguistically appropriate and designed to improve Hispanic/Latino participation in AD preclinical
trials. Findings will provide preliminary data for a large multicenter trial to test the intervention using a randomized
approach. To accomplish these aims and my goal of becoming an independent investigator, I propose to engage
in extensive ADRD training through didactic instruction, experiential learning and mentorship by the leaders in
the field. I will leverage resources from the University of California, Irvine Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
to (a) acquire foundational knowledge of core principles in ADRD research, (b) gain experience in mixed-
methods approaches in recruitment science, (c) become proficient in designing behavioral interventions, and (d)
develop the leadership skills necessary to conduct multicenter studies and propel my research forward.
Terms: <21+ years old><AD dementia><AD related dementia><ADRD><Active Learning><Address><Adult><Adult Human><Adverse Experience><Adverse event><Alzheimer Type Dementia><Alzheimer disease dementia><Alzheimer risk factor><Alzheimer sclerosis><Alzheimer syndrome><Alzheimer's><Alzheimer's Disease><Alzheimer's and related dementias><Alzheimer's disease and related dementia><Alzheimer's disease and related disorders><Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia><Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder><Alzheimer's disease or related dementia><Alzheimer's disease related dementia><Alzheimer's disease risk><Alzheimers Dementia><Application Context><Attitude><Behavior Conditioning Therapy><Behavior Modification><Behavior Therapy><Behavior Treatment><Behavioral><Behavioral Conditioning Therapy><Behavioral Modification><Behavioral Therapy><Behavioral Treatment><Belief><Biological Markers><California><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Clinical Research><Clinical Study><Cognitive><Communities><Conditioning Therapy><Cooperative Learning><Data><Decision Making><Dedications><Disparities><Disparity><Enrollment><Ensure><Epidemiologist><Ethnic Origin><Ethnicity><Experiential Learning><Fellowship><Foundations><Funding><Goals><Grant><Health><Health Care Systems><Health Disparities Research><Health disparities related research><Healthcare Systems><Hispanic><Hispanic Populations><Hispanic group><Hispanic individual><Hispanic people><Hispanics><Individual><Infrastructure><Instruction><Intention><Internet><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><Knowledge><Latino><Latino Population><Latino group><Latino individual><Latino people><Latinos><Leadership><Linguistic><Linguistics><Literature><Mentors><Mentorship><Methods><Minority Recruitment><Modeling><Multi-center studies><Multi-center trial><Multicenter Studies><Multicenter Trials><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Non-Hispanic><Nonhispanic><Not Hispanic or Latino><Participant><Persons><Population><Position><Positioning Attribute><Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia><Process><Race><Races><Randomized><Recommendation><Registries><Research><Research Career Program><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Researchers><Resources><Safety><Sampling><Science><Scientist><Solid><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Testing><Training><Treatment Efficacy><Underrepresented Groups><Underrepresented Populations><Underserved Population><United States National Institutes of Health><University resources><WWW><Work><adulthood><alzheimer risk><behavior intervention><behavioral intervention><bio-markers><biologic marker><biomarker><clinical trial recruitment><cognitive interview><community based design><community based research><contextual factors><design><designing><enroll><evidence base><experience><health disparities science><health literacy><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><insight><intervention design><intervention efficacy><intervention mapping><interventional strategy><literacy><novel><older adult><older adulthood><pilot test><population based><pre-clinical><pre-clinical trial><preclinical><preclinical trial><primary degenerative dementia><racial><racial background><racial origin><randomisation><randomization><randomized, clinical trials><randomly assigned><recruit><recruiting minorities><recruitment science><risk perception><senile dementia of the Alzheimer type><skills><therapeutic efficacy><therapy design><therapy efficacy><treatment design><treatment effect><under representation of groups><under represented groups><under represented people><under represented populations><under served group><under served individual><under served people><under served population><underrepresentation of groups><underrepresented people><underserved group><underserved individual><underserved people><web><willingness><world wide web>