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Rural Health Disparities in AD/RD: The Health & Aging Brain Study - Health Disparities Rural

Award Number: R01AG094513
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2031

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Rural Health Disparities in AD/RD: The Health & Aging Brain Study - Health Disparities Rural - PROJECT SUMMARY Rural communities face a disproportionate burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) yet are severely underrepresented in AD/ADRD research. Recent evidence suggests an 80% higher risk of developing AD/ADRD in rural compared to urban communities. Those living in rural communities are often diagnosed later in the disease course, if they are diagnosed at all, and life expectancy after diagnosis is shorter. Mortality rates from AD/ADRD are also rising faster in rural areas, particularly among rural-dwelling Black and Hispanic individuals, and now exceed mortality rates in metropolitan areas. The factors contributing to these disparities remain poorly understood and critical knowledge gaps remain. Vascular and inflammatory diseases are more prevalent in rural communities and may confer additional risk for AD/ADRD in rural communities compared to urban counterparts. Community social determinants of health, including neighborhood disadvantage (ND), must also be considered, as these factors also contribute to AD/ADRD risk and are associated with AD-specific cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and neuropathological changes. The University of Washington (UW) has expansive clinical and research infrastructure across the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) to study aging in rural communities to address these gaps. In collaboration with the UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the Health and Aging Brain Study – Health Disparities (HABS-HD), the most comprehensive study of AD/ADRD health disparities in the U.S., we propose to establish HD-Rural as the most comprehensive longitudinal study of rural cognitive aging to date. Our long-term goals are to comprehensively characterize cognitive aging and AD/ADRD biomarkers in rural-dwelling older adults and to identify key risk factors contributing to disparities in dementia outcomes faced by this population. Leveraging the extensive infrastructure established by the UW in Washington and the University of North Texas Health (UNT-Health) in Texas, we will: Characterize cognitive functioning of rural-dwelling older adults and the degree of cognitive change over time (Aim 1); Characterize blood-biomarker profiles of AD pathology (e.g., amyloid, tau, neurodegeneration) in rural-dwelling older adults (Aim 2); and Characterize the influence of vascular and inflammatory risk factors on cognitive and biomarker outcomes among rural-dwelling older adults (Aim 3). HD-Rural will establish the first large-scale longitudinal study of cognitive aging and AD/ADRD biomarkers in rural America, filling a critical gap in dementia research and identifying modifiable targets to guide public health efforts that improve brain health, cognitive aging, and resilience, and ultimately, reduce the burden of AD/ADRD for millions of rural-dwelling older adults nationwide.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $3,677,375 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE	SEATTLE	WA	98195	KING	USA	Aging Research	000	1	9/17/2026	NEW	$3,677,375
														Subtotal = $3,677,375

Grand Total All Awards = $3,677,375

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Rural Health Disparities in AD/RD: The Health & Aging Brain Study - Health Disparities Rural

Award Number: R01AG094513

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/20/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2031

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