Research Education Component Core
South Carolina (SC) is characterized by a disproportionately high prevalence of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia, along with overwhelmingly poor cardiometabolic health statistics, elevating the risk of AD-related dementias (ADRDs). To help directly address this devastating ADRD landscape in SC, recruitment and retention of passionate memory care clinicians and researchers who are relentlessly seeking better treatment, prevention, and cure for AD/ADRD is urgently needed. Through its TRailblazing ADRD Interdisciplinary Leaders & Scholars (TRAILS) program, the Research Education Component (REC) of the South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (SC-ADRC) will provide a roadmap for preparing Trailblazers—postdoctoral fellows, nurse practitioners, medical residents, clinical fellows, and junior faculty—for successful, lifelong AD/ADRD careers specializing in ADRD research and clinical care.
Trailblazers will become experts through exposure to the best practices in clinical care, contemporary and diverse research technology, experimental approaches spanning discovery to implementation science, as well as engagement in grant writing, presentation skills, and networking. This multi-pronged approach will ensure that Trailblazers will have the expertise and passion needed to make transformative contributions to the care of South Carolinians and the national and international ADRD research, working towards both preventing ADRD and finding a cure.
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Trailblazers will participate in a richly developed, weekly core curriculum featuring workshops, seminars, journal clubs, and clinical case conferences to ensure a deep understanding of the newest findings in AD/ADRD research and clinical care
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The TRAILs program will be deeply integrated into the overall SC-ADRC. Specifically, the Neuroimaging Core will provide expertise in the core curriculum to enhance training in AD/ADRD neuroimaging research. Similarly, the Data Management and Statistical Core, the Clinical Core, and the two biomarker cores will provide their expertise as part of the Dementia Seminar Series. Partnering with the Neuropathology Core, Trailblazers will attend postmortem examinations on participants in the MUSC Brain Bank. Finally, the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core will provide opportunities to the Trailblazers for community-engaged research and outreach.
Research Education Component Leadership
Jane Joseph, PhD
Core Investigator
Medical University of South Carolina
John Absher, MD
Core Investigator
University of South Carolina
Lesley Ross, PhD
Core Lead
Clemson University
Alyssa Gamaldo, PhD
Core Investigator
Clemson University