Commentary
Video
Enhancing Alzheimer Care in Asian and Pacific Islander Communities Through RCASIA: Brad Kamitaki, MD
The assistant professor of neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School talked about a collaborative initiative that aims to address AD disparities in Asian and Pacific Islander American populations. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]
WATCH TIME: 3 minutes
“We're focused on serving [Asian and Pacific Islander American] communities, figuring out what needs they have and addressing them, trying to make the disparities we see better.”
Health care disparities in Alzheimer disease (AD) among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations are being increasingly recognized in research but remain under-addressed.1 Recent research has indicated that Asian Americans are often diagnosed with AD at a later age compared with other groups, potentially delaying access to care and interventions for this patient population.2 Additionally, researchers have reported that Asian and Pacific Islander patients exhibited lower rates of communication with health care providers regarding cognitive decline, suggesting potential cultural or systemic barriers to care.3
Efforts to mitigate these health care disparities for patients with AD in these communities emphasize the importance of culturally tailored approaches. For instance, the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health has developed a community-engaged research agenda aimed at understanding and reducing AD disparities among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.2 Such initiatives may highlight the need for increased awareness, early identification, and culturally appropriate treatment strategies to improve AD outcomes for these populations.
In a recent conversation with NeurologyLive®, Brad Kamitaki, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, discussed the mission and impact of the Resource Center for Alzheimer's and Dementia Research in Asian and Pacific Americans (RCASIA), based at NYU and Rutgers Institute for Health. Kamitaki emphasized the center’s multidisciplinary approach in aiming to address healthcare disparities in Asian and Pacific Islander populations affected by AD. He also recapped RCASIA’s recent retreat held at NYU, where clinicians, students, and community members gathered to share research progress and hear from keynote speakers who highlighted the caregiving experience through a personal lens.
