Advancing Dementia Research Through an Early Career Summer Institute

Friday, November 15, 2024

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

Location: Room 620

CE: 1.5

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

CK

Chelsea Kline, MPH (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate Director, Health Policy
Public Health
Alzheimer's Association
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alyssa Lanzi, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Communication Sciences and Disorders
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware, United States
AT

Amy Thierry, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Public Health Sciences
Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
SZ

Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, FGSA

Distinguished Professor
Program on Aging, and Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL@UNC)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

In 2020, the National Institutes on Aging (NIA) funded the five-year Alzheimer's Association Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute (AA-ISRI) focused on early career researchers interested in psychosocial and public health research related to dementia. This program is designed to equip researchers with the knowledge and tools to advance the field of dementia research. Specifically, the Institute aims to promote skill building and substantive knowledge of emerging leaders, better preparing them to develop the evidence to ultimately improve care and outcomes for persons living with dementia. During each of the first three years of the project, feedback from faculty and trainees underscored areas in which training is more and less beneficial and the importance of facilitating new and ongoing networks. During this symposium, we will 1) describe the inception and development of AA-ISRI; 2) provide insights from a psychosocial track alum on training and the impact AA-ISRI has had on their research and career; 3) provide insights from a public health track alum on training and the impact AA-ISRI has had on their research and career; and 4) detail lessons learned and steps that other organizations can take to develop similar programs, as well as suggestions for faculty working with individual mentees.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the components, goals, and lessons learned of a training program intended to promote public health and psychosocial research in dementia and career development.
Describe the key psychosocial and public health learnings as well as long-term research impact from participating in the Summer Research Institute.
List the essential factors integral to the effective design and implementation of an early career research development program.

Presentations:

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

Developing a Summer Research Institute for Early Career Researchers
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Chelsea Kline, MPH (she/her/hers) – Alzheimer's Association
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

Psychosocial Researcher Perspectives of the Summer Research Institute and Training Needs
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Alyssa M. Lanzi, PhD, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers) – University of Delaware
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

Public Health Researcher Perspectives of the Summer Research Institute and Training Needs
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Amy D. Thierry, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Xavier University of Louisiana
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM PST

Lessons Learned From the Summer Research Institute/Training Needs of Early Researchers in Dementia
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, FGSA – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)