Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in collaboration with the Nevada Office of Minority Health and Equity and the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, recently hosted “Breaking Barriers: Advancing Diversity in Healthcare & Research,” an interactive, candid community discussion.
With more than 30 community advocate organizations and, in attendance, and remarks from Nevada State Senators Dina Neal and Pat Spearman, the event focused on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Nevada as well as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities with a specific focus on the importance of diversifying healthcare and clinical research.
The candid community dialogue featured a diverse array of panelists who spoke to a variety of topics including the barriers BIPOC communities experience in seeking Alzheimer’s clinical care and research, as well as how Nevada’s healthcare community can remove these barriers.
Panelists included:
Dylan Wint, MD, Director of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (pronounced “Die-Lan”)
Charles Bernick, MD, MPH, is a staff neurologist with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Brenda Harris-Carter, AHEAD research participant
Tina Dortch, Nevada Office of Minority Health and Equity
Josh Perez, All of Us Research Program
As Las Vegas is home to one of the largest Alzheimer’s clinical trial sites in the country – Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health – attendees learned about ongoing clinical research opportunities, the safeguards in place and firsthand experience from a current clinical research participant.
