Director's Welcome

Welcome message from Dr. Joseph Gallo, MD, MPH, and Dr. Roland Thorpe, Jr., PhD, Directors of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research:

Welcome to the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research at Johns Hopkins University (JHAD-RCMAR). As Directors of the JHAD-RCMAR, we are pleased that you are visiting our website, and thank you for your interest in Alzheimer’s disease, minority aging, and health disparities.

The burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) falls disproportionately on the minority older population. Research on minority aging to understand racial/ethnic disparities in ADRD and to develop interventions and preventive strategies to reduce cognitive impairment and dementia risk is urgently needed.  

The JHAD-RCMAR is designed to enhance the diversity of the aging research workforce by mentoring promising scientists from under-represented groups for sustained careers in minority aging research in priority areas of social, behavioral, and economic research on aging. We also aim to develop infrastructure to promote advances in these areas while simultaneously increasing the number of researchers focused on health disparities and the health and well-being of minority elders, within a framework that encompasses individuals, families, social networks, neighborhoods, and communities. 

Our Center capitalizes on an outstanding interdisciplinary environment at Johns Hopkins University for research, training, and mentoring to emphasize epidemiological and intervention research with a life course perspective on ameliorating health disparities by advancing minority aging research as it is related to ADRD. It is expected that JHAD-RCMAR supported studies will establish preliminary data and generate peer-reviewed manuscripts in high-impact journals that lead to substantive, long-term externally funded research portfolios.

Our overarching objective is to train and support early-stage investigators from under-represented backgrounds who are carrying out ADRD-relevant research that supports cognitive health and well being in minority older adults.  

Thanks again for visiting our website. Please contact us if you would like additional information about our training program or pilot grant opportunities.