Joshua Travis joins the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation's Inclusive Research Initiative Team!

I am pleased to finally share that I have accepted a role supporting community and relationship building for Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation (GAP). As part of the organization's Inclusive Research Initiative Team, I will be able to connect with under-resourced and underrepresented communities to engage and recruit people for life saving clinical trials.

GAP is a network of clinical trial sites across the global, who benefit from sharing knowledge and experience in order to effectively and efficiently work toward research progress in neurodegenerative conditions.

African Americans are nearly twice as likely as whites to develop AD and other dementias, and Hispanics are about 1.5 times as likely. This disparity is likely even greater considering that African Americans are less likely to be diagnosed with the condition and are often misdiagnosed. When they do receive an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it’s often later in life when treatment options are more limited. Over 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, over 50 million worldwide. GAP's mission for inclusion and better representation in research studies is groundbreaking and relevant.

Joining this team brings back into the dementia care and research community, which is where it all started. While I will miss my role as Executive Director of Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, the skills and knowledge I gained from the many leaders and changemakers I was blessed to encounter during my run as ED is one of the many reasons I am ready to hit the ground running and get back to seeing real changes in forgotten communities.

Additional Information and Dementia Resources -

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.

Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be younger-onset Alzheimer’s if it affects a person under 65. Younger-onset can also be referred to as early-onset Alzheimer’s. People with younger-onset Alzheimer’s can be in the early, middle or late stage of the disease.

There is no single diagnostic test that can determine if a person has Alzheimer’s disease. Physicians (often with the help of specialists such as neurologists, neuropsychologists, geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists) use a variety of approaches and tools to help make a diagnosis. Although physicians can almost always determine if a person has dementia, it may be difficult to identify the exact cause.