To achieve this, MUSC Health and the MUSC Department of Neurology worked with the SC-ADRC to establish the Henry and Mollie Fair Memory Disorders Clinic, recruit additional neurologists and geriatricians, and establish clinical and neuropsychological practice standards consistent with those expected by the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). As our initial studies suggest that genetic abnormalities are a major contributor to the development of dementia in South Carolina, we have expanded genetic testing for our patients both in MUSC Health laboratories and by providing free genome sequencing to our patients through the In Our DNA SC Initiative cosponsored by MUSC and the genetic testing company Helix. To improve the care of AD and ADRD patients in rural South Carolina, Drs. Nick Milano and Robert Adams have established the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Network (SCAN) which provides care in the 14 hospitals of MUSC’s Regional Health Network, most of which are located in rural locations. The SC-ADRC recognizes that there are important differences between the causes of dementia in veterans and in the non-veteran population. As this difference is a major focus of the SC-ADRC, the Healthy Brain Aging initiative at the Charleston VA Medical Center directed by Dr. Jacobo Mintzer is a key component of the SC-ADRC.  In addition to running several clinical trials testing new treatments for AD and ADRDs, Dr. Mintzer is the top recruiter for the nation-wide Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) that studies disease progression in patients with minimal cognitive impairment as it transitions into dementia. The importance of the partnership between SC-ADRC and the Charleston VA Medical Center is further underscored by the fact that the Charleston VA has been designated as a VA National Coordinating Center for the care of veterans with dementia.

The SC-ADRC supports investigators that are pursuing basic, translational or clinical research directed towards discovering the underlying biological and behavioral causes Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) and then using that information to develop effective new therapies for these diseases.  To support these investigators, we have established Core Laboratories at MUSC, Clemson University, University of South Carolina, and the Charleston VA Medical Center that offer specialized scientific resources, instrumentation and expertise. We provide funding for pilot studies exploring innovative new ideas, develop multi-institutional collaborations and run workshops for both new investigators and established investigators new to the field of aging that are designed to help them obtain grant funding to support their research. To rapidly increase the number of investigators investigating the cause and treatment of AD and ADRDs, we have established new courses and journal clubs focused on these diseases and developed a pipeline to recruit appropriately trained and interested individuals from the MUSC Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), graduate students and postdoctoral fellows trained in all areas of basic, translational or clinical neuroscience and psychology, residency programs and clinical fellowships, and junior faculty into dementia research.

Expand provider and community education focused on the diagnosis and care of AD and ADRD patients and how to support these patients and their caregivers. Surveys of family medicine physicians by SCAN have consistently shown that these providers are uncomfortable with diagnosing AD and ADRDs and, when they make a diagnosis, they don’t know where to refer their patients for specialized care. To address this, SC-ADRC has worked with the MUSC Department of Family Medicine to develop a training program for family medicine physicians.  To further expand the provider plan in the state, we have also worked with the MUSC College of Nursing to develop a dementia training program for advanced nurse practitioners. To develop more specialty care providers, SC-ADRC has partnered with the MUSC Department of Neurology to provide subspecialty training in dementia to Neurology residents and, in conjunction with the MUSC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has established an ACGME-accredited Neuropathology Fellowship. As first responders are often unfamiliar with how to approach dementia patients in distress, we are partnering with 911 dispatchers to provide dementia training. We have also established outreach efforts to educate the public about the resources available to them, with a particular focus on rural and underrepresented minority populations who have historically had limited access to dementia care.