Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction - Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) affect more than 7 million Americans and are projected to impact 13 million by 2060, at an estimated cost of $409 billion in 2026 alone. Up to 45% of dementia cases may be attributable to modifiable risk factors, including hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, and smoking, conditions present in nearly 70% of American adults. The Alzheimer's Association requests funding to continue operating the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction under a five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-RFA-DP-26-0227, Component 2). The purpose of this project is to strengthen the capacity of state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) public health agencies to address dementia risk reduction through training, technical assistance, research translation, and workforce education. The Center will pursue three core strategies. First, the Center will provide training and technical assistance to BOLD-funded programs and other ADRD public health programs through a needs assessment-driven mix of in-person, virtual, and online opportunities, including delivering risk factor heat maps to health departments nationwide, expanding the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care ECHO® for Public Health Professionals to a national audience, coordinating with Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Collaborative members, co-hosting a national conference with the other Public Health Centers of Excellence, and convening a Leading States Advisory Group to guide program priorities. Second, the Center will support the translation of ADRD research into public health practice by identifying promising findings and translating them into actionable resources for STLT health departments. Risk Reduction Learning Collaboratives (RLCs) for local and Tribal health departments, mini-grant and technical assistance support for evidence-based brain health program implementation, and research-to-practice roundtables with Wake Forest University School of Medicine will drive this work. All tools and resources will be freely available through alz.org/riskreduction. Third, the Center will develop and expand professional education and workforce training for primary care providers, community health workers (CHWs), and public health professionals, including training aligned with emerging dementia risk reduction clinical practice guidelines and CHW curriculum developed in coordination with national partners. Each strategy has defined outcomes. Strategy 1 will increase the reach of training and technical assistance, expanding public health capacity to implement evidence-based ADRD practices as guided by the HBI Road Map. Strategy 2 will increase use of research-informed materials and strategies among public health professionals, ensuring timely delivery of new evidence to improve brain health in communities. Strategy 3 will increase integration of ADRD content within clinical and workforce training curricula, improving competency and application of dementia risk reduction knowledge across the health professional workforce. The Alzheimer's Association brings a strong record of program evaluation, having published three peer-reviewed journal articles in the past year documenting the impact of existing Center programs and contributing to the evidence base. Independent evaluation by Emory University will assess outcomes across all program strategies, with findings used for continuous quality improvement and broader dissemination.
