Conference seeks to raise awareness about Black men's brain health

Putting focus on the Black American community in brain health research, organizers of the Black Men’s Brain Health Conference have invited leading researchers and community leaders to address the brain health challenges facing Black men on Feb. 8–9 at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus.

The two-day conference will examine how various risk factors contribute to Black men’s higher risk for Alzheimer’ disease, dementia and other brain disorders. Sponsored in part by The Alzheimer’s Association, the conference will also explore how resilience — the brain’s ability to adapt to significant sources of stress — affect Black men’s cognitive health.

“Black Americans and other underrepresented and underserved communities face unique challenges in achieving optimal cognitive health,” said Carl V. Hill, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Hill adds that Black men are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia, and yet are less likely to be diagnosed; less likely to be recruited to participate in research; less likely to have access to care and support services; and face racial discrimination when seeking assessment and treatment for dementia care. The conference, Hill says, provides an opportunity for community leaders and researchers to identify strategies to address the barriers and challenges that Black men face in their cognitive health.

Scott Brooks, director of the Global Sport Institute at ASU, and Olga Davis, associate dean of Barrett, The Honors College, will help to open the conference on Feb. 8 at ASU’s Old Main Building on the Tempe campus.

ASU’s Center for Innovation in Health and Resilient Aging and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication are also co-sponsors of the Black Men’s Brain Health Conference alongside the Global Sport Institute and Barrett, The Honors College. Other sponsors include NFL Alumni, the NFL Player Networking Event, the National Institute on Aging, the Center of Sport Business Analytics, Berkeley Social Welfare and Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Conference registration is free and is available for in-person or virtual attendance. Interested media, researchers, community leaders and members of the public can register at www.mensbrainhealth.org/conference.

For more information, read the news release.