Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer’s Resource Center for Minority Aging Research: Partnerships for Progress (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Alzheimer’s Disease [UTRGV AD] RCMAR)
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) disproportionately impact Hispanic Americans, who represent the fastest-growing segment of the elderly population in the US and particularly in Texas, but this ethnic group is severely underrepresented both in research study participants and in the research workforce. To overcome these deleterious shortfalls, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) AD/ADRD-RCMAR will build upon longstanding strengths in social and behavioral science at UTRGV (located in the impoverished and 90% Mexican American-populated US/Mexico border region) and facilitated by a partnership with the South Texas AD Research Center, will continue to lead and coordinate efforts in South Texas to enhance the diversity and capacities of the workforce of minority aging research. This effort will catalyze increased research participation by Hispanic Americans and develop a robust infrastructure and data collections for high-impact research aimed at reducing the impacts of AD/ADRD on Hispanic Americans.