$10 million grant that fuels program for those with mild cognitive impairment, announced by Alex Taylor
Alex Taylor announced that the James M. Cox Foundation has awarded a $10 million grant over four years to the Charlie and Harriet Shaffer Cognitive Empowerment Program (CEP), a cornerstone initiative of the Goizueta Institute at Emory Brain Health.
This funding, part of an ongoing commitment, aims to significantly expand the impact of the CEP’s innovative efforts to improve the lives of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their care partners.
Often a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease, MCI is a distinct, early decline in memory and the ability to think. The CEP employs unique strategies to empower participants through personalized lifestyle programs, cutting-edge technologies and purposefully-designed physical environments.
It functions as a dynamic living lab, addressing key aspects such as physical activity, cognition, functional independence, social engagement, wellbeing, nutrition and inclusion in research.
In 2018, James M. Cox Foundation and Cox Enterprises contributed $23.7 million to launch the CEP, offering Phase I financial support in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology. Located on Emory’s Executive Park campus, the CEP features innovative spaces designed to serve as a social hub for patients and families and accommodate a wide range of novel and evidence-based interventions.
“We are profoundly honored and grateful to the Cox Foundation for their unwavering support and visionary investment in the Shaffer Cognitive Empowerment Program. This critical funding for Phase II not only validates the innovative strides we’ve made thus far but propels us into a new realm of possibilities,” says Allan Levey, MD, PhD, founding director of CEP and the Goizueta Institute at Emory Brain Health and professor of neurology in the Emory University School of Medicine.
“There is tremendous interest in the potential role of lifestyle modification to mitigate risk of progression of MCI to Alzheimer’s disease yet few programs like CEP designed to rigorously measure and study different behaviors,” says Levey.
Levey believes the program’s new director, Amy Rodriguez, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, is poised to capably lead the interdisciplinary CEP team into this next phase of development, advancing efforts to streamline program delivery, increase capacity and extend the program’s reach across geographic, racial, cultural, economic and other diverse domains.
“This new funding is a transformative opportunity for the Shaffer Cognitive Empowerment Program to further address the critical gap in the health care ecosystem with its unique infrastructure that enhances the well-being of individuals and families throughout their MCI journey,” says Rodriguez. “I am honored to lead the program into this next phase and am confident that, with the support of the Cox Foundation, we can continue to pioneer cutting-edge approaches in chronic care management, foster diversity and contribute meaningfully to the broader landscape of cognitive health.”
Some of the strategic objectives of Phase II include:
Program Scaling: Phase II aims to expand partnerships, increase diversity, refine lifestyle interventions and develop lifestyle biomarkers. The overarching goal is to position the CEP as a national and international model for chronic care management.
Research Initiatives: With a more extensive and diverse member population, the CEP will lead research on lifestyle interventions and biomarkers to slow disease progression. Research focused on CEP interventions to improve sleep, physical activity, diet and social engagement will determine how these non-pharmacological strategies can be used to slow the progression of MCI and delay the onset of dementia. Implementation research will be key to integrating and scaling this first-of-its-kind program into routine care.