Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (CADC)

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Investigator: Eliseo Perez-Stable, MD
Sponsor: NIH National Institute on Aging

Location(s): United States

Description

The Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (CADC) has three research themes: 1) understanding multilevel determinants of disparities, 2) evaluating through secondary data analysis the effects of policies that reduce public services among minority older adults, and 3) translating evidence-based interventions to prevent/manage chronic conditions and mitigate the effects of stressful environments in minority communities. The Administrative Core will coordinate all CADC functions, select pilot studies for funding, host Advisory Board meetings, allocate effort to update the web site, and sustain collaborations with UCSF colleagues. The Investigator Development Core will fund 3-5 scholars every year through the process of Request for Proposals and review. CADC faculty will formally mentor funded scholars to completion of their research, publication of a paper, submission of a faculty development or independent research grant to NIA/NIH, and becoming established in their academic units. The multidisciplinary nature of CADC faculty provide scholars with a variety of content mentors in the clinical, epidemiological, behavioral, and social sciences, including a neuroscientist and health economist. We will promote use of secondary datasets to identify multi-level determinants of disparities and evaluate the impact of policy changes using interrupted time-series methods. We will also encourage scholars to develop pilot interventions to reduce health disparities. The Community Liaison Core will support recruitment of research participants for funded projects, advance the science of recruitment and disseminate research findings to the target communities. The Analysis Core will work closely with scholars to provide technical assistance in specialized methods in minority aging, develop measurement projects to identify determinants of disparities, and provide guidance to pilot test community-based interventions. In sum, CADC will continue to foster development of ethnically diverse investigators who will conduct research with older minority persons at UCSF and in Northern California. The Center for Aging in Diverse Communities is supporting the development of race and ethnic minority scholars who are addressing research topics in minority aging. The provision of pilot grants in a supportive and intellectually rich environment with strong linkages to the target communities in the area facilitate the successful development of new investigators at the same time that knowledge is advanced regarding the mechanisms of health disparities and how to decrease these.