Clinical Core

The Clinical Core supports the robust range of data collection activities for the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study as well as ACT-related ancillary studies. Specifically, this core collects participant data to confirm eligibility, complete biennial follow-ups, and identify incident cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The Clinical Core is responsible for communication with ACT cohort participants as well as data collection during participant clinic and home visits, entailing close coordination with other ACT Study cores and projects that include data collection activities.

It is notable that the Clinical Core evaluates participants either in the research clinic at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute or in a participant’s home, at the participant’s choice. This helps optimize participant retention and validity of the findings. Our webpages for ACT Study participants include resources that describe the research clinic, the consent process, and the data collection tools used in the ACT projects.

Among the new objectives for the years ahead are to:

• Expand the cohort to 3,000 study volunteers through planned oversampling, which will result in a more racially and ethnically diverse cohort
• Modernize the approach to digital data collection while ensuring compatibility with existing paper-based forms