Inspiring Undergraduate Student Training in Alzheimer's Research (USTAR): Training the Next Generation of Aging Scientists

Abstract

Inspiring Undergraduate Student Training in Alzheimer's Research (USTAR) aims to provide Underrepresented Minority (URM) undergraduate students with mentored didactic, clinical, and research experiences to stimulate interest in research related to Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). USTAR specifically focuses on social determinants of health (SDOH) as risk factors for ADRD minoritized populations. USTAR's scientific rationale is that URM undergraduates are less likely to enter the biomedical workforce. Addressing this disparity is important since minorities are disproportionally affected by ADRD, and URM scientists may deeply appreciate the sociocultural forces that create racial health disparities. USTAR unites faculty expertise from Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and Delaware State University (DSU), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The faculty's work spans the full spectrum of ADRD research and care, including neuroscience, biology, gerontology, geriatrics, neurology, and geriatric psychiatry. The 20-month USTAR program will train two cohorts of 10 students. Across all USTAR activities, we emphasize the relationship between SDOH and cognition. USTAR's goals are to: (1) provide interdisciplinary ADRD-related research, educational, clinical, and community experiences; (2) enhance research skills via group research projects; (3) facilitate transition from undergraduate to graduate studies in science; and (4) evaluate USTAR's effectiveness. USTAR has the potential to increase diversity in the national workforce that conducts health disparities research pertaining to ADRD. This goal aligns with the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) mission to meet the nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs and to ensure health equity for all Americans.