# Inspiring Undergraduate Student Training in Alzheimer's Research

> **NIH NIH R25** · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $399,296

## Abstract

The goal of this research education program ─ Inspiring Undergraduate Student Training in Alzheimer's
Research (USTAR) ─ is to provide Black/African American (B/AA) undergraduate students with mentored
didactic, clinical, and research experiences to stimulate interest in pursuing research careers related to
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). USTAR specifically focuses on social determinants of
health as risk factors for ADRD in B/AAs. USTAR's scientific rationale is that B/AA undergraduates are less
likely that White undergraduates to enter the biomedical workforce. This disparity is important because B/AAs
are disproportionally affected by ADRD, and B/AA scientists may more deeply appreciate the sociocultural
forces that create racial health disparities. USTAR brings together the research training skills of faculty at
Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and Delaware State University (DSU), a Historically Black College and
University (HBCU). USTAR's multi-PI leaders include an ADRD clinical researcher (Rovner; TJU), a B/AA
ADRD neuroscientist (Lawal; DSU), and a geriatrician who focuses on ADRD (Parks; TJU). Our combined
expertise in ADRD research and clinical care, social determinants of health, neuroscience, neuroimaging, and
interprofessional care in geriatrics, and our experience recruiting and mentoring B/AA undergraduates, guide
this exciting new learning opportunity. The 20-month USTAR program will train two cohorts of ten rising junior
B/AA undergraduates. Each USTAR trainee will have an Academic Mentor who advises on academic progress
and career planning, and a Research Mentor who advises on research training. Trainees may seek optional
mentorship from a B/AA faculty mentor if a trainee wishes to have a race-congruent mentoring experience. The
USTAR program is comprised of: 1) two 8-week summer sessions (i.e., one session prior to both the junior and
senior undergraduate years) that include didactic, research, clinical, and community-based learning
experiences; 2) educational and research activities during the junior and senior academic years; and 3) a
model longitudinal observational study of a racially diverse sample of older adults with normal cognition, mild
cognitive impairment, and ADRD. Across all activities, we will emphasize the relationship between social
determinants of health and cognition. Collaborating faculty include 17 clinicians and researchers with
complementary expertise. The Specific Aims of USTAR are to: 1) Provide interdisciplinary ADRD-related
research, educational, clinical, and community experiences; 2) Enhance trainee research skills via independent
research projects; 3) Facilitate B/AA student transition from undergraduate to graduate studies in science; and
4) Evaluate USTAR's effectiveness. USTAR has potential to increase diversity in the national workforce that
conducts health disparities research pertaining to ADRD. This goal aligns with the NIA mission to meet the
nation's biomedical, behavior...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10848895
- **Project number:** 1R25AG081171-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Hakeem O Lawal
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $399,296
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-15 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10848895

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10848895, Inspiring Undergraduate Student Training in Alzheimer's Research (1R25AG081171-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10848895. Licensed CC0.

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