Advancing brain health and dementia research in Canada: insights from focus groups with the Dementia Research and Innovation Funders Alliance.

Background and Objectives Strategic planning and prioritization are critical to fueling scientific acceleration to advance dementia prevention, treatment, and quality of life. Although funding agencies and community leaders have important roles in supporting research, their insights remain largely o...

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Publicado en:Gerontologist Vol. 66; no. 7; pp. 1 - 11
Autores principales: Bacsu, Juanita-Dawne R, Ménard, Alixe, Berlinguette, Cheltey, Hulko, Wendy, O'Connell, Megan E, Fraser, Sarah, Mann, Jim, Blackstock, Sheila, Norman, Myrna, D'Souza, Melba Sheila
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Advancing brain health and dementia research in Canada: insights from focus groups with the Dementia Research and Innovation Funders Alliance.
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          Bacsu, Juanita-Dawne R
          Ménard, Alixe
          Berlinguette, Cheltey
          Hulko, Wendy
          O'Connell, Megan E
          Fraser, Sarah
          Mann, Jim
          Blackstock, Sheila
          Norman, Myrna
          D'Souza, Melba Sheila
        affil:
          School of Nursing, Population Health and Aging Rural Research (PHARR) Centre, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
          Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
          School of Social Work and Human Service, Population Health and Aging Rural Research (PHARR) Centre, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
          Department of Psychology & Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
          Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
          National dementia advocate and person living with dementia, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
          School of Nursing, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
          National dementia advocate and person living with dementia, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
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        Canada
        Qualitative research
        Focus groups
        Interprofessional relations
        Interviewing
        International relations
        Medical research
        Health promotion
        Brain physiology
        Research funding
        Thematic analysis
        Research methodology
        Life course approach
        Dementia
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          Qualitative research
          Focus groups
          Interprofessional relations
          Interviewing
          International relations
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          Canada
          Foreign affairs
          International Affairs
          Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
          Brain physiology
          Research funding
          Thematic analysis
          Research methodology
          Life course approach
          Dementia
      keyword:
        brain
        Brain health
        canada
        Collaboration
        community
        copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America
        copyrightYear:2026
        equity
        health promotion
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag124
        Implementation science
        inLanguage:en
        Life course
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42261250/
        brain
        Brain health
        canada
        Collaboration
        community
        copyrightHolder:The Gerontological Society of America
        copyrightYear:2026
        equity
        health promotion
        https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnag124
        Implementation science
        inLanguage:en
        Life course
        publisher:Oxford University Press
        sameAs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42261250/
      ab: Background and Objectives Strategic planning and prioritization are critical to fueling scientific acceleration to advance dementia prevention, treatment, and quality of life. Although funding agencies and community leaders have important roles in supporting research, their insights remain largely overlooked. Recently, the Dementia Research and Innovation Funders Alliance was created by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to foster collaboration, innovation, and identify impactful ways to mobilize research findings on brain health and dementia. Through focus groups with Alliance members, this study aimed to gather expert insight to accelerate brain health and dementia research in Canada. Research Design and Methods Three focus groups were conducted with 20 Alliance members from June 24 to 26, 2025. The focus groups were led by an experienced moderator who asked four open-ended questions exploring priorities to maximize research impact, including translation into practice and policy. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Four themes were identified: (i) implementation gap: translating research into action; (ii) life-course approach: enhancing brain health promotion across all ages; (iii) global collaboration: leveraging international connections to drive research and innovation forward; and (iv) equity-denied groups: advancing inclusion and community-based research. Discussion and Implications While extensive studies have been conducted on brain health and dementia research, there is a pressing need to translate research findings into practice and policy. It is critical that future research prioritizes implementation science across the life course, international collaboration, and partnerships with equity-denied groups to advance brain health and dementia research and innovation in Canada.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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