AAPA, PA Foundation Awarded Grant to Launch Innovative Early Detection Program for Alzheimer’s with Cleveland Clinic
PA Organizations Are Among 12 Select Recipients of the Inaugural Global Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Grant Program for Healthcare System Preparedness
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 31, 2022) – The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) today announced the PA Foundation has received a grant from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), the organization leading an unprecedented global response to Alzheimer’s disease, to develop a cognitive assessment toolkit in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic in sites across the U.S. and abroad.
Through this partnership, AAPA, the PA Foundation, and Cleveland Clinic will develop a pilot toolkit for medical practitioners to expand their knowledge and skills on the topic of brain health and cognitive assessments with a goal of increasing screenings among adults for mild cognitive impairment and providing early intervention for those who screen positive. Understanding the gravity of a positive screening, the training will cover patient and caregiver communications.
Additionally, the toolkit will include practice-based provider and patient resources. The pilot implementation will be followed by outcomes reporting and dissemination of the toolkit to a broader audience of health systems and medical practitioners domestically and globally.
“Alzheimer’s is expected to affect 150 million families worldwide by 2050. Early detection is key to supporting the individuals and families who will face this devastating disease,” AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA said. “As patient-centered healthcare professionals, PAs are committed to doing their part in the fight against Alzheimer’s. AAPA and the PA Foundation are honored to receive this grant from Davos and to be a part of this work that will have a global impact.”
AAPA, the PA Foundation, and Cleveland Clinic will join a global network of 12 grant projects, all part of the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness project, which aims to advance how healthcare systems worldwide detect, diagnose, treat, and care for people with or at risk for Alzheimer’s.
“We are excited to see how AAPA, the PA Foundation, and the Cleveland Clinic can be part of our efforts to create new pathways to early detection, and look forward to helping to link and scale their successes to our partners around the world,” said George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of the Board, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative.
AAPA, the PA Foundation, and Cleveland Clinic will have an opportunity to extend its impact by sharing best practices through DAC Learning Labs, communities of practice events, and other fora, all designed to share learnings and successes and encourage transformative action with healthcare systems around the globe.
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Josh Birch, 443.614.5896
About the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)
AAPA is the national membership organization for all PAs (physician associates/physician assistants). PAs are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patient-centered, team-based medical practice. PA has been named one of the best jobs overall and one of the best healthcare jobs for the fifth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report. The PA profession ranked number three this year in Best STEM jobs. Learn more about the profession at aapa.org and engage through Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
About the PA Foundation
PA Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that promotes better health and wellness by providing PAs and PA students with philanthropic opportunities and resources. It is the philanthropic arm of the AAPA, representing a profession of approximately 150,000 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the uniformed services.
About the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
Launched at the World Economic Forum’s 2021 meeting on The Davos Agenda, The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to aligning stakeholders with a new vision for our collective global response against the challenges Alzheimer’s presents to patients, caregivers and healthcare infrastructures. Convened by The World Economic Forum and The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease (CEOi) and fueled by a mission of service to the estimated 150 million families and half a billion people inevitably impacted by this disease by 2050, DAC is a collaborative for the benefit of all people, in all places.
