Lake O RO1 Grant

This 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health was awarded to Florida Atlantic University. The purpose of the grant is to study the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia (ADRD) in rural communities. We chose to study communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee in the Glades, FL because Dr. Wiese has a long relationship with community residents and leaders and Dr. Wiese’s earlier studies show that residents are at risk of cognitive decline - problems with memory, learning and reasoning. Alzheimer’s disease or ADRD, a brain disease, usually begins in middle or old age.

There are many possible causes of ADRD. To prevent it, we are looking for causes that can be changed or removed. We plan to collect information about several possible causes such as age, general health, lifestyle, neighborhood environment and air quality. We will invite over 1,000 residents from several rural communities including Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay, Clewiston, and Okeechobee. For comparison, we will also recruit residents of Royal Palm Beach. Once we understand the causes of cognitive decline, we will make plans with the community to find ways to reduce residents’ health risks.

A team of 8 researchers designed the study. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University are Drs. Lisa Wiese (Principal Investigator), Christine Williams (Multi-Principal Investigator), Diana Mitsova (Co-investigator), Juyoung Park (Co-investigator), and Janet Holt (Co-investigator). Three universities are collaborating: University of Miami (Dr. Lilah Besser, Co-investigator), Colorado State University (Dr. Sheryl Magzamen, Co-investigator), and Washington State University (Dr. Diane Cook, Co-investigator). To meet our goals, we have hired a team of community research assistants (CRA), who are the heart of this team.

If you are interested in this project, please email us at ruralhealthstudy@health.fau.edu or contact this number 561-573-5765
Thank you!

Affiliate Universities

Washington State University

Founded in 1890, Washington State University (WSU) is a comprehensive land-grant university with teaching, research, and extension missions, and one of two research universities in Washington State.

The main campus is located in Pullman, Washington. WSU is organized into ten academic colleges, the Honors College, and the Graduate School. It has an enrollment of more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on six campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Everett, and Global with additional sites/locations across the state). WSU ranks among the top 60 public research universities and is a Carnegie I, Doctoral/Research Extensive University.

University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.

The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity". The University of Arizona is one of three universities governed by the Arizona Board of Regents. As of 2021, the university enrolled 49,471 students in 19 separate colleges/schools, including the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix and the James E. Rogers College of Law, and is affiliated with two academic medical centers (Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix). In 2021, University of Arizona acquired Ashford University.

Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is a leader - regionally, nationally, and globally - in nursing education, research, scholarship and practice. The undergraduate and graduate programs are nationally-ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Our faculty are conducting cutting-edge research in a variety of areas and the research is funded by a multitude of sources. The College is dedicated to teaching from a holistic, caring-based philosophy and offers a curriculum centered on the substantive study of caring through nursing situations.

Colorado State University

Colorado State University is Colorado’s public land-grant research university located in Fort Collins, CO, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. CSU was founded in 1870 under the Morrill Act and currently has over 34,000 students, 2,000 faculty and 55 academic departments in eight colleges. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 65 fields of study and master's degrees are offered in 55 fields. Colorado State confers doctoral degrees in 40 fields of study, in addition to a professional degree in veterinary medicine. Colorado State is one of the 43 public universities in the United States designated as a Carnegie Foundation’s R1 university for exceptionally high research output. The university is well known for its focus on environmental scholarship, supported through faculty, students and staff in engineering, ecosystem sciences, natural resources, social sciences and environmental health sciences.