New Initiative on Economics of Alzheimer’s Disease

Recognizing the rising toll of chronic late-life diseases as the US population ages, the NBER has launched a multi-year initiative on the economics of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has awarded the NBER a five-year grant to serve as a Coordinating Center for the Economics of AD/ADRD, focusing on the care, treatment, and prevention of these diseases. The Center is co-directed by neurobiologist Rhoda Au of Boston University, Julie Bynum, a geriatric care specialist at the University of Michigan, and research associate Kathleen McGarry of UCLA; Susan Stewart is the Executive Director. It will coordinate the work of several NIA-funded research teams, support scholars who are launching new projects on ADRD-related issues, and host an annual conference showcasing relevant economic research. 

A team of investigators led by research associates Katherine Baicker of the University of Chicago and Kosali Simon of Indiana University has also been awarded a closely-related five-year program project grant to study “Health Care Decision-Making and Outcomes for People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease.” Their project will investigate the unique challenges and potential barriers to providing care to people living with AD/ADRD. It is the latest phase of a program project on health and well-being at older ages that the NBER has hosted for several decades.

A number of other NBER-affiliated research teams are also carrying out research on the diagnosis and treatment of AD/ADRD as well as the delivery of care to those it affects.