University of Utah Health today announced its participation in the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative U.S. Early Detection Expansion Program to increase the early detection of cognitive impairment at five primary care clinics. The program is led by the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC), a worldwide initiative accelerating innovation in Alzheimer’s disease research and care. Building upon the success of the initial U.S. Early Detection Program, this initiative is designed to help health care systems improve rates of early detection of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease as a routine part of primary care.
The Division of Geriatrics at the University of Utah will coordinate an interdisciplinary team effort to standardize and measure key process outcomes involving cognitive care for older adults that can be sustained over time at University of Utah Health. As one of two U.S. health care systems, U of U Health will implement and refine the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness (DAC-SP) Early Detection Blueprint across five primary care sites, testing a system-level model that demonstrates feasibility and validates the approach for system-wide adoption.
The five participating primary care sites within/across the University of Utah [or Univ of Utah Health include:
"This expansion program allows DAC-SP to help health care systems make early detection a routine part of primary care and will provide valuable insights from implementing the early detection blueprint across multiple sites," said Tim MacLeod, PhD, director of DAC Healthcare System Preparedness. "By working with two systems that will each deploy their program across five sites, we're refining a replicable model for early detection of cognitive decline that can be adopted and sustained nationwide, ultimately improving outcomes for millions of Americans."
Timothy Farrell, MD, professor of medicine and associate chief for the Division of Geriatrics’ Age-Friendly Care, will serve as the project lead. “The Division of Geriatrics at the University of Utah is delighted to partner with the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative to enhance early detection of cognitive impairment across five primary care clinics in our health system,” Farrell said. “This partnership is highly synergistic with our health system’s work to advance age-friendly care both locally and nationally. We look forward to working with colleagues in internal medicine, family medicine, nursing, neurology, informatics, and quality improvement on this important initiative.”
U of U Health will receive seed funding to support the implementation of early detection programs across the five participating primary care sites, along with coaching and technical assistance on program delivery from DAC experts based on the DAC-SP Early Detection Blueprint. The U.S. Early Detection Expansion Program leverages a self-serve implementation model to develop organizational training capabilities and create sustainable clinical pathways that ensure scalable, long-term program adoption.
U of U Health will share its learnings with the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness team and the other participating health care system, Tufts Medicine, in monthly virtual community of practice meetings throughout the 12-month program, which will run through the end of 2026.
More than 6.9 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, with this number projected to nearly double to 13.8 million by 2060 as the population ages. Detecting Alzheimer's disease in a timely manner is important in extending life and improving outcomes for patients and their families.
The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Healthcare System Preparedness (DAC-SP) Program addresses the readiness of our healthcare systems worldwide for a global aging population, with an initial focus on improving rates of early detection and the timely and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. DAC-SP applies implementation science methods to turn research breakthroughs into lasting improvements in clinical practice. To accelerate and scale the delivery of cutting-edge treatments and innovations globally, DAC-SP shares learnings and best practices through Learning Laboratory meetings and its Early Detection Blueprint. In collaboration with our partners around the world, DAC-SP serves as a catalyst for transformative improvement within healthcare systems.
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC) is a pioneering worldwide initiative to cure Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, seeking to mirror the success of global efforts against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, COVID, and Malaria. DAC is extending global research beyond its current focus on traditional Western European ethnic populations into the highly diversified populations of the Global South, where the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s live. By introducing lower-cost screening and diagnostic tools as well as new treatment and prevention modalities in primary care and community health settings, DAC is driving implementation of health system solutions that are appropriate for worldwide application. DAC also promotes the vital importance of brain health throughout the lifespan by addressing cardiometabolic and lifestyle factors, especially in early and mid-life. Absent effective action at scale around the world, by 2050, more than 150 million families and half a billion people will be personally impacted by dementia, creating a social, financial, economic, and global security disaster of historic proportions. DAC was launched in Davos in 2021 by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease.