UTSW joins effort to create early screening for dementia
Ten U.S. health systems selected to develop programs to detect Alzheimer’s, other cognitive impairments
DALLAS – Jan. 28, 2025 – UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 U.S. health systems selected for an initiative that aims to create and implement early detection programs for Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments.
The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), a global partnership focused on research, prevention, and care for patients with the brain disorder that erodes memory and thinking skills, launched the U.S. Early Detection Fellowship Program. The systems will use a blueprint to guide development of early detection/screening protocols in their primary care settings. Another goal of the initiative, planned to continue through the first quarter of 2026, is to refine the blueprint for potential use nationwide.
Two faculty members will lead the effort at UT Southwestern: Ihab Hajjar, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Internal Medicine and a member of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute; and Ramona Rhodes, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and in the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health.
Mild cognitive impairment may indicate early signs of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, but these clues often go undetected, Dr. Hajjar said. The Collaborative believes that primary care providers can fill a vital need in helping patients and their families recognize the signs and symptoms earlier, resulting in more prompt treatment. Screenings could take place when patients visit their physicians for wellness checks, or similar models could be designed to screen for cognitive diseases, Dr. Hajjar said.
“By the time many patients seek care, either their cognitive disease is too advanced or they may not be eligible for some of the available therapies,” he said. “Our objective is to determine how we can accomplish the overall goal of improving both detection and care of patients dealing with cognitive issues.”
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a handful of medications in recent years for treatment of Alzheimer’s at the mild, moderate, and severe stages. Alzheimer’s Disease International reports that more than 55 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. That number, including nearly 7 million in the U.S., could exceed 150 million by 2050, the Collaborative estimates. The Alzheimer’s Association projected health care costs for Americans with dementia would reach $360 billion in 2024, and nearly $1 trillion in 2050.
Dr. Hajjar sees the concept of early cognitive screening becoming much more relevant, similar to cholesterol screening.
“If you were to talk about cognitive screening a few years ago, there were very few treatment options available,” he said. “And most of those were symptomatic, usually reserved for patients who are more advanced. Now there’s a shift in understanding cognitive disease as a continuum, where there’s a long phase of pathological or biological changes that precede patients’ symptoms and make them a target for interventions and therapies.”
Each of the 10 participating health systems receives $250,000 from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative. While developing an early detection program for UTSW during the first phase, Drs. Hajjar and Rhodes will study institutional policies, culture, and process changes. In the second phase, the recommendations will be tested and data gathered to assess their effectiveness.
It also will be important to devise next steps for patients who have positive early screenings, Dr. Hajjar said. He expects leaders in UTSW’s Neurology/Memory clinic and Geriatrics program to be involved in those discussions.
“We want to have a second layer in place confirming that what we are seeing in the early screening is real,” Dr. Hajjar said. “And then, if the patient, family, and provider agree, there would be a more extensive workup to find out why the patient is having cognitive issues and whether they are a candidate for treatment.”
With early detection, patients may be able to make lifestyle changes and address risk factors to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Those factors include hypertension, smoking, obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity.
Dr. Hajjar holds the Pogue Family Distinguished University Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Research and Care, in Memory of Maurine and David Weigers McMullan.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution’s faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,200 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.