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Details

ADACC Inaugural Annual Conference 

         Graylyn International Conference Center

Winston-Salem, NC

April 29-30, 2024

About the Conference

The Alzheimer’s Diagnosis in older Adults with Chronic Conditions (ADACC) Network is a broad
group of multidisciplinary stakeholders focused on developing evidence-based strategies for the use
and implementation of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers among older adults with cognitive impairment
and multiple chronic conditions at the population level. Funded by the National Institutes on Aging
and developed in collaboration with NIA scientists, the ADACC Network brings together important
data from several existing observational and real-world cohorts, awards annual pilot projects to
further the science in this field, convenes working groups to address specific questions, and will host
an annual conference to enhance discussion and to develop best-practice guidelines.

The purpose of the ADACC Annual Conference in 2024 is to formally establish the scientific
objectives of the network with our existing collaborators, to provide information on the current state of
the science with regard to biomarkers, discuss work already underway, and gather input from key
stakeholders on needs in the field to prioritize and address over the next few years.

Monday, April 29

         The Mews Conference Room 

Agenda items

8:00 AM

8:15 AM

9:00 AM

12:30 PM

3:10 PM

4:35 PM

5:00 PM

Welcome and Introductions

Overview of ADACC Network

Marcel Salive, MD, MPH

Project Officer

Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology

National Institute on Aging

​

Michelle M. Mielke, PhD

Professor and Chair

Department of Epidemiology and Prevention

Division of Public Health Sciences

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

State of the Science

Heather Whitson, MD, MHS

Professor of Ophthalmology, Head & Neck Surgery, Neurology, Communication Sciences

Director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development

Duke University School of Medicine

​

Michelle M. Mielke, PhD

Professor and Chair

Department of Epidemiology and Prevention

Division of Public Health Sciences

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

Heidi Klepin, MD, MS

Professor

Department of Internal Medicine

Section on Hematology and Oncology

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

Ambar Kulshreshtha, MD, PhD, FAHA, FAAFP

Associate Professor

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

Department of Epidemiology, Division of Hospital Medicine

Emory University School of Medicine

​

Antoine R. Trammell, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics

Emory University School of Medicine

​

Nicole Fowler, PhD, MHSA

Associate Professor of Medicine

Director of Research

Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Indiana University School of Medicine

​

Kyra O-Brien, MD

Assistant Professor

Department of Neurology

University of Pennsylvania

​

Mary Manchester, MPH

Research Coordinator

Dept. of Health Policy & Behavioral Sciences

School of Public Health

Georgia State University

​

Break-Out Sessions

Attendees will be asked to select the Primary Care or Specialty Care track. Both groups will participate in guided discussions led by members of the ADACC Steering Committee as we ask for your help in identifying the critical areas that need to be addressed.  

​

Primary Care: discussions will include how to implement and interpret biomarkers in primary care for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease among patients with multiple chronic conditions; development of guidelines as to when the biomarkers should and should not be incorporated; examination of concerns around reimbursement and patient disclosure.

 

Specialty Care: discussions will include how biomarkers can be implemented in specialty care (e.g., cardiology, oncology) in addition to neurology; considerations of how to interpret the biomarkers among patients with the chronic conditions seen by specialists; when patients should and should not receive the biomarkers and developments of guidelines.

​

Participants in both tracks will also be asked to consider the ethical impacts of incorporating blood-based biomarkers into the medical record and potential harm, the provision of biomarker results to patients, the interpretation of biomarkers in underrepresented groups and possible effects on social determinants of health and racial/ethnic differences, concerns regarding cost and reimbursement in the choice to undergo biomarker testing, the need for guidelines in the field, and further policy implications.

 

Overview of Pilot Studies Funded in 2023

“Comparing the effects of MCC’s on plasma P-tau and brain-derived tau levels”

Kerry Sheets, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

University of Minnesota

Geriatrician, Hennepin Healthcare

​

“Impact of MCC’s on ADRD Biomarkers in a Real World Population of Veterans”

Jeffrey L. Dage, PhD

Senior Research Professor of Neurology

Stark Neurosciences Research Institute

Indiana University School of Medicine

​

“Evaluating ADRD biomarkers in older adults following critical illness”

Jessica Palakshappa, MD, MS

Assistant Professor

Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

Announcement of 2024-2025 Pilot Awardees

Nicole Fowler, PhD, MHSA

Associate Professor of Medicine

Director of Research

Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics

Indiana University School of Medicine

 

Adjourn

Tuesday, April 30

       The Mews Conference Room

Agenda items

8:00 AM

9:30 AM

10:15 AM

11:15 AM

11:45 AM

12:00 PM

Presentation of Information from Break-Out Sessions

Speakers to be selected from Breakout Session attendees 

​

Overview of Data Coordinating Center and Cohort Studies

Nick Pajewski, PhD

Professor

Department of Biostatistics and Data Science

Division of Public Health Sciences

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

 

Overview of Working Groups

Effects of Co-Morbidities on Biomarkers

Priya Palta, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Neurology

UNC School of Medicine

​

Biomarkers for Risk Prediction and Prognosis

Jeffrey L. Dage, PhD

Senior Research Professor of Neurology

Stark Neurosciences Research Institute

Indiana University School of Medicine

 

Ethical Considerations

Allyson Rosen, PhD, ABPP-CN

Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center

Palo Alto VA Medical Center

Clinical Professor (Affiliated)

Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Stanford University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Stanford University School of Medicine

​

Neelum T. Aggarwal, MD

Professor

Department of Neurological Sciences

Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center

Rush University Medical Center

 

Future Plans and the Direction of the ADACC Network

Jeff D. Williamson, MD, MHS

Professor and Section Head

Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Department of Internal Medicine

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

Closing Remarks

Michelle M. Mielke, PhD

Professor and Chair

Department of Epidemiology and Prevention

Division of Public Health Sciences

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

​

Adjourn

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