Advancing global dementia research through equity and inclusion

Despite the global burden of dementia, research remains dominated by high-income, Western populations, limiting the generalizability and equity of findings. In this Perspective, we highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in dementia research, not only in study participants but also in the researchers, study design, and funding priorities. We describe how the lack of representation creates knowledge gaps and delays progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We also present examples of initiatives that are working to change this, including the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative and the William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship program, which supports open science, international collaboration, and early-career researchers from underrepresented regions. These efforts demonstrate that diversity is not only an ethical goal, but a scientific need. More inclusive and global research could lead to discoveries that are more generalizable, more globally applicable, and better able to inform strategies to address dementia across all communities. HIGHLIGHTS: Prioritize representation in datasets across ethnicity, geography, sex/gender, and socio-economic status. Support early-career researchers from underrepresented regions with long-term funding and mentorship. Standardize and adapt tools (cognitive, clinical, genomic) across cultural and linguistic contexts. Promote open science through equitable, federated data sharing platforms, and embed community engagement from research design to dissemination. Value diversity as a driver of discovery, not as a confounder.

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Publication Details

Journal
Alzheimer s & Dementia
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71069
Primary Topic
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Advancing global dementia research through equity and inclusion

Liz Yuanxi Lee, Selena Wang, Geetha Soujanya V. N. Chilla, Hangfan Liu et al.
Alzheimer s & Dementia
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
article

Advancing global dementia research through equity and inclusion

Liz Yuanxi Lee, Selena Wang, Geetha Soujanya V. N. Chilla, Hangfan Liu, Jermaine Ross, Samuel Danso, Jiyang Jiang, Kimberley Billingsley, Natalia Vilor‐Tejedor, Tavia Emily Evans, Ricardo D'Oliveira Albanus
article en

Abstract

Despite the global burden of dementia, research remains dominated by high-income, Western populations, limiting the generalizability and equity of findings. In this Perspective, we highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in dementia research, not only in study participants but also in the researchers, study design, and funding priorities. We describe how the lack of representation creates knowledge gaps and delays progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We also present examples of initiatives that are working to change this, including the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative and the William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship program, which supports open science, international collaboration, and early-career researchers from underrepresented regions. These efforts demonstrate that diversity is not only an ethical goal, but a scientific need. More inclusive and global research could lead to discoveries that are more generalizable, more globally applicable, and better able to inform strategies to address dementia across all communities. HIGHLIGHTS: Prioritize representation in datasets across ethnicity, geography, sex/gender, and socio-economic status. Support early-career researchers from underrepresented regions with long-term funding and mentorship. Standardize and adapt tools (cognitive, clinical, genomic) across cultural and linguistic contexts. Promote open science through equitable, federated data sharing platforms, and embed community engagement from research design to dissemination. Value diversity as a driver of discovery, not as a confounder.

Alzheimer s & DementiaVol. 22(1)
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG), University of Maryland, Baltimore (US), National Institutes of Health (US), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), IDEO (United States) (US), Utrecht University (NL), Trinity College Dublin (IE), University of Cambridge (GB), Radboud University Medical Center (NL), Department of Health and Aged Care (AU), Ophthalmology Consultants (US), Bridge University (SS), Pasqual Maragall Foundation (ES), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (US), Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (ES), Hospital Del Mar (ES), National Institute on Aging (US), Centre for Genomic Regulation (ES), Hospital del Mar Research Institute (ES), Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US), University of Sunderland (GB), University of Edinburgh (GB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Alzheimer's Association, “la Caixa” Foundation, European Commission, Isaac Newton Trust, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Alzheimer Nederland, Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 91%
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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