# Building Relationships between Researchers and the Community to Increase African American Participation in Alzheimer's Disease Research

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $148,223

## Abstract

Project Summary Abstract
African Americans and other racial and ethnic minority groups remain underrepresented in aging research,
despite increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). In light of the increasing racial and ethnic
diversity of the aging population, the NIH has prioritized the recruitment and retention of individuals from
marginalized populations in AD research programs, with the goal of increasing inclusivity of research
participant pools, a critical aspect of effectively addressing future healthcare needs. Many studies indicate that
African Americans are interested and willing to participate in research, but there are multiple complicating
factors impeding full participation. The challenge for AD researchers is to develop research programs in which
older African Americans are able to and feel comfortable participating. Successful programs address
community-based and institutional barriers to recruitment, as well as prioritize increased collaboration,
sensitivity, and responsiveness to the various cultural needs of participants from these groups. Previously, we
designed a culturally-tailored service-based approach to improve the recruitment and retention of African
Americans into the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC). The long-term goal of this
strategy is to increase engagement of African Americans in AD research by establishing a lasting community
presence and positive, collaborative relationships through the provision of research-sponsored community
programs. In the current proposal, using mixed methodology, we plan to 1) assess the impact of this strategy
on overall attitudes towards research participation, and 2) conduct structured interviews to collect qualitative
data identifying additional factors and key elements influencing research participation. Increasing the
generalizability of findings through building more inclusive AD research participant pools is the first step in
achieving the ultimate goal of eliminating health disparities and providing the highest level of care to all.
Information gained will used to be used to refine the current program and support the establishment of other
service-based recruitment and retention programs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9999425
- **Project number:** 5R03AG063304-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Susan Flowers Benton
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $148,223
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9999425

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9999425, Building Relationships between Researchers and the Community to Increase African American Participation in Alzheimer's Disease Research (5R03AG063304-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9999425. Licensed CC0.

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