Health Equity Scholars Program

HESP Team Publications Featured in JAMA and Alzheimer’s & Dementia Journals

Posted on

We are excited to share three recently published articles produced by the Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP) team!

These publications, authored by the HESP Directors, Drs. Okonkwo and Rivera Mindt; HESP Scientists, Drs. Alyssa Arentoft, Vanessa Guzman, and Joe Strong; ADNI Research Statistician, Adam Diaz; HESP Project Managers, Amber Niay, Mai Seng Thao, and Hannatu Amaza; and the ADNI and HABS-HD Principal Investigators, Drs. Weiner and O’Bryant, have been featured in JAMA and the Special Issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).

Below are the details of the articles, listed by publication date:

1. “A Protocol for the Inclusion of Minoritized Persons in Alzheimer Disease Research From the ADNI3 Diversity Taskforce” was published August 9th, 2024, in JAMA Network Open. This article highlights the structure, successes, and lessons learned from the ADNI-3 Diversity Taskforce (the precursor to the ADNI Engagement Core).

Read the article

    • Okonkwo OC, Rivera Mindt M, Ashford MT, Conti C, Strong J, Raman R, Donohue MC, Nosheny RL, Flenniken D, Miller MJ, Diaz A, Soto AM, Ances BM, Beigi MR, Doraiswamy PM, Duara R, Farlow MR, Grossman HT, Mintzer JE, Reist C, Rogalski EJ, Sabbagh MN, Salloway S, Schneider LS, Shah RC, Petersen RC, Aisen PS, Weiner MW; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. A Protocol for the Inclusion of Minoritized Persons in Alzheimer Disease Research From the ADNI3 Diversity Taskforce. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Aug 1;7(8):e2427073. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.27073. PMID: 39120898; PMCID: PMC11316236.

2. “The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core: A culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model to advance brain health equity” was published on October 23rd, 2024, in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. It lays out the rationale, scope of work, deliverables, and initial success of the ADNI-4 Engagement Core in increasing the enrollment of underrepresented populations into ADNI-4.

Read the article

    • Rivera Mindt M, Arentoft A, Calcetas AT, Guzman VA, Amaza H, Ajayi A, Ashford MT, Ayo O, Barnes LL, Camuy A, Conti C, Diaz A, Easter B, Gonzalez DJ, Dotson YG, Hoang I, Germano KK, Maestre GE, Magaña F, Meyer OL, Miller MJ, Nosheny R, Park VMT, Parkins S, Thomas LR, Strong J, Talavera S, Verney SP, Weisensel T, Weiner MW, Okonkwo OC; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core: A culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model to advance brain health equity. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Oct 23. doi: 10.1002/alz.14242. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39440702.

3. “The Health Equity Scholars Program: Fostering Culturally Competent and Successful Independent Investigators in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research” was published on November 7th, 2024, in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. This article highlights the importance of building a culturally competent and diverse AD/ADRD workforce and provides an overview of the fundamental elements of the HESP as well as preliminary evaluation data from the program’s first cohort of Scholars.

Read the article 

    • Amaza H, Niay A, Thao MS, Strong J, Arentoft A, Guzman V, O’Bryant SE, Weiner M, Mindt MR, Okonkwo OC; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; HABS‐HD Investigative Team. The Health Equity Scholars Program: Fostering Culturally Competent and Successful Independent Investigators in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Research. Alzheimers Dement. 2024 Nov 7. doi: 10.1002/alz.14323. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39511895.

We hope you’ll take a moment to explore these publications, which reflect the collective efforts of the HESP team and our commitment to advancing health equity and inclusion in Alzheimer’s disease research.