Wake Forest recruits minority groups for Alzheimer's study

By FYH News Team

Published on February 4, 2023

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Wake Forest School of Medicine is joining an international study to build a resource that will diversify Alzheimer’s research.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Studies show Black Americans are impacted twice as much as white Americans when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. The number of Black Americans involved in research and clinical trials is low. Wake Forest School of Medicine is on a mission to diversify research and close the gap.

Dr. Goldie Byrd is the director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She has spent much of her career researching the genetics of Alzheimer’s in African Americans with a particular emphasis on diversifying research studies in clinical trials.

“When we think of health equity, one huge component of that is ensuring that whenever there is a study done, or there’s an intervention, or there’s a cure for certain kinds of diseases or conditions that multiple populations are involved,” Dr. Byrd said.

Dr. Byrd said increasing diversity in research is a major step toward closing the gaps in Alzheimer’s disease health disparities.

“Many things that we experience in life are the social determiners of health are those things that influence our prevalence of getting the disease,” Dr. Byrd said. “If we are unable to address how we live, the stress, racial strife, discrimination, violence, all these things contribute to increased risk of Alzheimer’s.”

The Maya Angelou Center is joining an international study to build a resource that will expand Alzheimer’s disease genetic studies in people of African Ancestry and Hispanic/ Latinx groups.

Program Director Takiyah Starks said the center will work with other universities and nine African Countries to recruit 13,000 people to participate.

“Being that Alzheimer’s disease impacts African Americans twice more often than our Caucasian counterparts and we don’t know specifically why that is, it’s important to have a true representation of all groups of people that this disease impacts,” Starks said.

This is a five-year initiative. Leaders said the study only requires a blood draw and a cognitive assessment.

Those who wish to learn more or participate in the study may contact the study coordinators by calling 833-491-2817 or visiting www.READD-ADSP.org.

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