Community Action Council

External and Internal CAC

The mission of both Community Action Council’s (CAC) is to strengthen the ability of BU ADRC staff and faculty to (1) conduct quality, inclusive research by ensuring adequate representation of all participants in both the HOPE registry and other studies, (2) meet Education & Outreach Core goals, especially in regards to the needs and concerns of individuals at risk due to demographics or by diagnosis, and (3) increase community awareness of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and current treatments and lifestyle factors.

To achieve its mission, the CAC has several objectives:

  1. Advise the faculty and staff of the BU ADRC on participant recruitment and retention in the HOPE research registry — the longitudinal study of normal brain aging and changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease;
  2. Propose strategies to increase research activity by HOPE registry participants and other people in Alzheimer’s disease research and related research studies;
  3. Assist the BU ADRC staff and faculty to understand barriers to participation in the HOPE registry and other research studies;
  4. Advise principal investigators conducting research sponsored by the BU ADRC regarding specific recruitment strategies to be inclusive of African American participants; and encourage direct interaction between researchers and the community;
  5. Recommend priorities for educational and outreach activities to foster community awareness of new research, treatment and prevention strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss; and
  6. Assist the BU ADRC staff to collaborate with relevant community organizations.

Council Membership

staff
Valerie Nolen, CAC facilitator

The Community Action Council is supported by the Administrative, Education, ORE, and Clinical Cores, of the BU ADRC and is facilitated by Valerie Nolen, staff member in the BU ADRC Administrative Core, member of the Massachusetts Alzheimer’s Association Advisory Council, and Board member of the National Brain Health Initiative, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The standing members of the External CAC include leaders in the greater Boston community, and collaborative partners from Boston community agencies.

The standing members of the Internal CAC include participants of our HOPE Study.

BU ADRC CAC members are invited to participate as indicated to present new research studies, discuss recruitment strategies, report research findings, and provide education or feedback on specific initiatives.

We are looking forward to having more members join our council. If you are interested please feel free to contact us and someone will get in touch with you shortly.