The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health has launched a new research center to study and improve the treatment of dementia.
The university on Aug. 15 launched the center, called Establishing Mechanisms of Benefit to Reinforce the Alzheimer’s Care Experience (EMBRACE). The university is planning to undertake six research trials on a variety of research topics lasting between one and two years each, according to Katie Louwagie, a project specialist in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
“Year 1 trials are in the process of obtaining National Institute on Aging and [institutional review board] approval, and we look forward to disseminating year 2 trial applications for funding beginning June 1, 2025 in fall 2024,” Louwagie told Senior Housing News.
The center is a collaboration among SPH, the University of Wisconsin, Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Researchers will specifically study specific actions, benefits or behavioral changes that could be keys to successful treatment of dementia. For example, an upcoming trial will examine family caregivers of people with dementia, with a focus on the African immigrant community.
“In dementia care science, interventions are not always designed with implementation in mind,” Joseph Gaugler, a professor at SPH and co-lead of the EMBRACE Center, said in a news release about the center’s launch. “This center will help facilitate and expedite outreach and communication about promising innovations to benefit people living with dementia and those who care for them.”
The center will also aid researchers by providing them with consultation, resources or support to take their trials “toward larger scale and more rigorous testing.” Researchers also will have access to additional resources and workshops to further their understanding of how dementia treatment works in the real world.
The center is funded through a $5.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging.
