AAIC 2021 | Expanding research populations and moving towards action to mitigate health disparities

Amy Kind, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, explains that research, including research into Alzheimer’s disease, disproportionately includes individuals from highly advantaged contexts. As a result, important social-contextual measures are not adequately considered. Research populations should include larger proportions of individuals from disadvantaged neighborhoods to be more reflective of the overall population. Moving forward, Prof. Kind highlights that research and social science approaches should be combined, and physiological mechanisms elucidated more precisely. This would allow for the current passive description of health disparities to be transformed into mitigating action. Such solutions may be clinical, or policy related. This interview took place during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), 2021.