Lake O RO1 Grant

This 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health was awarded to Florida Atlantic University. The purpose of the grant is to study the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (ADRD) in rural communities. We chose to study communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee in the Glades, FL because Dr. Wiese has a long relationship with community residents and leaders and Dr. Wiese’s earlier studies show that residents are at risk of cognitive decline - problems with memory, learning and reasoning. Alzheimer’s disease or ADRD, a brain disease, usually begins in middle or old age.

There are many possible causes of ADRD. To prevent it, we are looking for causes that can be changed or removed. We plan to collect information about several possible causes such as age, general health, lifestyle, neighborhood environment and air quality. We will invite over 1,000 residents from several rural communities including Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay, Clewiston, and Okeechobee. For comparison, we will also recruit residents of Royal Palm Beach. Once we understand the causes of cognitive decline, we will make plans with the community to find ways to reduce residents’ health risks.

A team of 8 researchers designed the study. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University are Drs. Lisa Wiese (Principal Investigator), Christine Williams (Multi-Principal Investigator), Diana Mitsova (Co-investigator), Juyoung Park (Co-investigator), and Janet Holt (Co-investigator). Three universities are collaborating: University of Miami (Dr. Lilah Besser, Co-investigator), Colorado State University (Dr. Sheryl Magzamen, Co-investigator), and Washington State University (Dr. Diane Cook, Co-investigator). To meet our goals, we have hired a team of community research assistants (CRA), who are the heart of this team.

If you are interested in this project, please email us at  ruralhealthstudy@health.fau.edu  or contact this number  561-573-5765
Thank you!