TRailblazing ADRD Interdisciplinary Leaders & Scholars (TRAILS) program

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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • The SC-ADRC already has 15 trainees identified, either participating in TRAILS or interested in participating.

    • Stephanie Aghamoosa Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Health Sciences and Research, MUSC

    • Oluwole Babatunde, M.D., Psychiatry Resident, Prisma Health Center for Psychiatry

    • Hye Won Chai, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, Psychology, Clemson

    • Andrew An Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biostatistics, MUSC

    • Nicole Davis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Graduate Coordinator, Nursing, Clemson

    • Katharine Atkins Few, FNP, Nurse Practitioner, Geriatrics, Prisma Health – Greenville

    • Reed Gurchiek, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Bioengineering, Clemson

    • Daniel Lench, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Neuroscience, MUSC

    • Ge Lv, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Clemson

    • Hunter Moss, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, MUSC

    • Sara Nolin, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, MUSC

    • Federico Rodriguez Porcel, M.D., - Assistant Professor, Neurology, MUSC

    • Zahra Rahemi, Ph.D., RN, Associate Profesor, College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences, Clemson

    • Abigail Stephan, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, Psychology, Clemson

    • Michael Sugarman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neurology, MUSC

Research Education Component Leadership

Dr. Jane Joseph

Jane Joseph, PhD
Core Investigator
Medical University of South Carolina

Dr. John Absher

John Absher, MD
Core Investigator
University of South Carolina

Lesley Ross, PhD
Core Lead
Clemson University

Dr. Alyssa Gamaldo

Alyssa Gamaldo, PhD
Core Investigator
Clemson University