Clinical Core

The Clinical Core will contribute to the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center by establishing a comprehensive dataset with well-characterized patients and caregivers with AD/ADRD. Importantly, this cohort will include individuals enrolled across diverse areas in SC and will constitute a uniquely rich representation of the population in the entire state. The Clinical Core will provide a unique demographic and geospatial resource for the SC-ADRC, which will also serve national AD/ADRD research efforts. Additionally, the Clinical Core team will contribute a clinical perspective to SC-ADRC projects, enhancing clinical translation. Serving as the foundation of the SC-ADRC, the Clinical Core will ensure optimal, diverse, and representative inclusion of AD/ADRD participants following the latest clinical standards.

Through our geographically diverse reach, clinical expertise, and use of state-of-the-art technologies, we will enable cutting-edge research on AD/ADRD through the SC-ADRC. The Clinical Core will operate across three distinct sites: MUSC in Charleston and the SC coastal region, the USC/Prisma in Columbia and the Midlands, and Clemson University/Prisma and USC/Prisma in Greenville and the SC upstate region. While each site caters to specific geographic regions within SC, they function as a unified Clinical Core with shared objectives. Collaboratively, these sites will establish a longitudinal cohort of participants with AD/ADRD across the state.

  • Establish a well-characterized longitudinal cohort of participants at various stages of AD/ADRD, including pre-symptomatic and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), along with a volunteer registry serving as a trial-ready cohort.

  • All participants in the SC-ADRC Clinical Core will undergo initial and annual evaluations utilizing the Uniform Data Set (UDS) from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. To ensure comprehensive, comparable, and state-of-the-art clinical assessments of AD/ADRD, we will standardize procedures across the Clemson Rural Health Group, MUSC SC Alzheimer’s Network, and USC/Prisma Brain Health Network hospitals. This standardization will extend to urban centers such as Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, as well as our systems’ rural outreach clinics, ensuring a broad representation of the population.

  • The Clinical Core team will offer a clinical perspective to all SC-ADRC projects to optimize clinical translational impact of the research. In sum, the Clinical Core will collect a uniquely rich dataset of well-characterized patients and caregivers with AD/ADRD across the entire state. The Clinical Core will enrich the SC AD Registry and ensure optimal, diverse, and representative inclusion of AD/ADRD following the most cutting-edge clinical practices

Clinical Core Leadership

Nicholas Milano, MD
Core Director
Medical University of South Carolina

John Absher, MD
Core Associate Director
Clemson University

Leonardo Bonilha, MD, PhD
Core Investigator
University of South Carolina

Dr. Robert Adams, MD
Core Investigator
Medical University of South Carolina