Outreach, Recruitment and Education Core

The Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement (ORE) Core of the South Carolina – Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (SC-ADRC) is designed to serve as a liaison between the SC-ADRC and community stakeholders (e.g., healthcare providers, persons with and without Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and caregivers) to facilitate robust community engagement and outreach. Additionally, the ORE is overseeing the expansion of the Partners and Advocates of Lifespan Science (PALS) network, which serves as a diverse network for research opportunities and communication throughout SC. Since 2021, the ORE has engaged in over 60 community outreach and engagement events/activities, to include: community health presentations and guest lectures, tabling at local and regional events (e.g., health fairs, wellness events), the ORE led mobile outreach health and resource fairs, professional networking events, newsletter development and dissemination to stakeholders, social media interactions, leisure-based community activities (e.g., “Make and Take” Events, themed Bingo), among others.  Many of these activities were designed to meet stakeholder needs and align with regional and national ADRD priorities for research and services. As a result of our participation in these events/activities, our PALS network has experienced a growth in registration of over 1900 SC older adults. Currently, outreach and engagement has spanned the Upstate and Midland regions of SC, and the ORE seeks to expand engagement and outreach to community stakeholders within the Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions in 2025-2026.