The Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core works to ensure Alzheimer’s disease research in New Mexico reflects the communities most affected, including rural populations, Hispanic and Latino families, and American Indian Nations, by building long‑term, respectful partnerships. Rather than relying on one‑time outreach, the core collaborates closely with community leaders, caregivers, and individuals living with dementia to understand community priorities and concerns, fostering trust and creating a strong foundation for meaningful and sustained participation in research.
The New Mexico Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is dedicated to understanding how vascular and inflammatory factors contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and progressive cerebrovascular disease in underrepresented communities across the state. Many individuals in these communities are rural‑dwelling older adults who identify as Hispanic or Latino and American Indian.
There is both a scientific and ethical need to improve our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in these populations. Yet many barriers limit participation, including cultural beliefs about illness, mistrust of medical and academic institutions, research materials that do not reflect community values, and a lack of culturally informed research staff.
New Mexico is uniquely positioned to address these challenges. It is one of the most sparsely populated states, has the highest proportion of Hispanic or Latino residents in the country, and is home
to twenty‑three federally recognized American Indian tribes. The state is also aging rapidly, with a growing percentage of residents aged sixty and older.
To ensure meaningful representation of rural, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian communities, traditional recruitment and occasional outreach are not enough. The center is committed instead to intentional, ongoing, and bidirectional engagement with community leaders and members.
Both the Administrative Core and the Overall Core emphasize this shift in approach:
The new Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core supports these goals by working closely with stakeholders at multiple levels to reduce disparities in Alzheimer’s disease research. Through sustained partnership, cultural humility, and community‑driven approaches, this core ensures that the voices and experiences of underrepresented groups shape the future of dementia research and care in New Mexico.
