Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia

Florentina Morello-Garcia; Nicolas Corvalan; Jorge Llibre-Guerra; Micaela Arruabarrena; María Florencia Clarens; Greta Keller; Loana De Los Santos; Maria Eugenia Martin; Cristiano Schaffer Aguzzoli; Ricardo Allegri; Livia Amaral; Carolina Ardohain Cristalli; Bruna Bellaver; Merci Ngozi Best; Madeleine Bloomquist; Kevin Chen; Neha Dubey; Cynthia Felix; Diego Fernandez Slezak; Igor Camargo Fontana; Indira Garcia-Cordero; Micaela Anahi Hernandez; Ozama Ismail; Florence Johnson; Arshia Khan; Suelyn Koerich; Maria Celeste Lopez Moreno; Pamela Lukasewicz Ferreira; Nahuel Magrath Guimet; Markley Oliveira Junior; Tharick A. Pascoal; Guilherme Povala; Andreia Rocha; Matheus Scarpatto Rodrigues; Marina Scop Medeiros; Emma Patrice Ruppert; Kaitlin Seibert; Claire Sexton; Carolina Soares; Ezequiel Surace; Hannah Wilks; Eduardo Zimmer; Lucia Crivelli

doi:10.1002/alz.70667

Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia

Florentina Morello-Garcia
, Nicolas Corvalan
, Jorge Llibre-Guerra
, Micaela Arruabarrena
, María Florencia Clarens
, Greta Keller
, Loana De Los Santos
, Maria Eugenia Martin
, Cristiano Schaffer Aguzzoli
, Ricardo Allegri
, Livia Amaral
, Carolina Ardohain Cristalli
, Bruna Bellaver
, Merci Ngozi Best
, Madeleine Bloomquist
, Kevin Chen
, Neha Dubey
, Cynthia Felix
, Diego Fernandez Slezak
, Igor Camargo Fontana

Indira Garcia-Cordero, Micaela Anahi Hernandez, Ozama Ismail, Florence Johnson, Arshia Khan, Suelyn Koerich, Maria Celeste Lopez Moreno, Pamela Lukasewicz Ferreira, Nahuel Magrath Guimet, Markley Oliveira Junior, Tharick A. Pascoal, Guilherme Povala, Andreia Rocha, Matheus Scarpatto Rodrigues, Marina Scop Medeiros, Emma Patrice Ruppert, Kaitlin Seibert, Claire Sexton, Carolina Soares, Ezequiel Surace, Hannah Wilks, Eduardo Zimmer, Lucia Crivelli

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Early-career researchers from low- and middle-income countries face systemic barriers to professional development and leadership growth. This article presents results from an initiative led by the World Young Leaders in Dementia (WYLD), including a leadership-focused session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2024 and a global survey completed by 130 dementia researchers from 17 countries. The survey explored five capacity-building domains critical for leadership development. Over half of the survey respondents stated that scientific research in their country was not prioritized in public policy. Additionally, only 39% report holding full-time academic positions. The most cited challenges included lack of funding sources, training opportunities, and physical workspace. These findings highlight the urgent need to invest in research, training, and infrastructure to support future scientific leaders. As dementia incidence rises, prioritizing capacity building is essential to ensure global equity in research. Highlights: Early-career dementia researchers face major barriers, especially in LMICs. A networking session and a global survey explored capacity-building needs in dementia research. Key obstacles: lack of funding, training, workspace, and protected research time. Leadership development is a critical component of sustainable research capacity.

Original language	English
Article number	e70667
Journal	Alzheimer's and Dementia
Volume	21
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70667
State	Published - Dec 2025

Keywords

World Young Leaders in Dementia
capacity building
dementia
early career researchers
leadership
low- and middle-income countries
scientific community

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10.1002/alz.70667

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Morello-Garcia, F., Corvalan, N., Llibre-Guerra, J., Arruabarrena, M., Clarens, M. F., Keller, G., Santos, L. D. L., Martin, M. E., Aguzzoli, C. S., Allegri, R., Amaral, L., Cristalli, C. A., Bellaver, B., Best, M. N., Bloomquist, M., Chen, K., Dubey, N., Felix, C., Slezak, D. F., ... Crivelli, L. (2025). Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia. Alzheimer's and Dementia, 21(12), Article e70667. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70667

@article{cd982563754e401f896b4fd9349348e5,

title = "Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia",

abstract = "Early-career researchers from low- and middle-income countries face systemic barriers to professional development and leadership growth. This article presents results from an initiative led by the World Young Leaders in Dementia (WYLD), including a leadership-focused session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2024 and a global survey completed by 130 dementia researchers from 17 countries. The survey explored five capacity-building domains critical for leadership development. Over half of the survey respondents stated that scientific research in their country was not prioritized in public policy. Additionally, only 39\% report holding full-time academic positions. The most cited challenges included lack of funding sources, training opportunities, and physical workspace. These findings highlight the urgent need to invest in research, training, and infrastructure to support future scientific leaders. As dementia incidence rises, prioritizing capacity building is essential to ensure global equity in research. Highlights: Early-career dementia researchers face major barriers, especially in LMICs. A networking session and a global survey explored capacity-building needs in dementia research. Key obstacles: lack of funding, training, workspace, and protected research time. Leadership development is a critical component of sustainable research capacity.",

keywords = "World Young Leaders in Dementia, capacity building, dementia, early career researchers, leadership, low- and middle-income countries, scientific community",

author = "Florentina Morello-Garcia and Nicolas Corvalan and Jorge Llibre-Guerra and Micaela Arruabarrena and Clarens, \{Mar{\'i}a Florencia\} and Greta Keller and Santos, \{Loana De Los\} and Martin, \{Maria Eugenia\} and Aguzzoli, \{Cristiano Schaffer\} and Ricardo Allegri and Livia Amaral and Cristalli, \{Carolina Ardohain\} and Bruna Bellaver and Best, \{Merci Ngozi\} and Madeleine Bloomquist and Kevin Chen and Neha Dubey and Cynthia Felix and Slezak, \{Diego Fernandez\} and Fontana, \{Igor Camargo\} and Indira Garcia-Cordero and Hernandez, \{Micaela Anahi\} and Ozama Ismail and Florence Johnson and Arshia Khan and Suelyn Koerich and Moreno, \{Maria Celeste Lopez\} and Ferreira, \{Pamela Lukasewicz\} and Guimet, \{Nahuel Magrath\} and Junior, \{Markley Oliveira\} and Pascoal, \{Tharick A.\} and Guilherme Povala and Andreia Rocha and Rodrigues, \{Matheus Scarpatto\} and Medeiros, \{Marina Scop\} and Ruppert, \{Emma Patrice\} and Kaitlin Seibert and Claire Sexton and Carolina Soares and Ezequiel Surace and Hannah Wilks and Eduardo Zimmer and Lucia Crivelli",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s). Alzheimer's \& Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1002/alz.70667",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

journal = "Alzheimer's and Dementia",

issn = "1552-5260",

number = "12",

}

Morello-Garcia, F, Corvalan, N, Llibre-Guerra, J, Arruabarrena, M, Clarens, MF, Keller, G, Santos, LDL, Martin, ME, Aguzzoli, CS, Allegri, R, Amaral, L, Cristalli, CA, Bellaver, B, Best, MN, Bloomquist, M, Chen, K, Dubey, N, Felix, C, Slezak, DF, Fontana, IC, Garcia-Cordero, I, Hernandez, MA, Ismail, O, Johnson, F, Khan, A, Koerich, S, Moreno, MCL, Ferreira, PL, Guimet, NM, Junior, MO, Pascoal, TA, Povala, G, Rocha, A, Rodrigues, MS, Medeiros, MS, Ruppert, EP, Seibert, K, Sexton, C, Soares, C, Surace, E, Wilks, H, Zimmer, E & Crivelli, L 2025, 'Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia', Alzheimer's and Dementia, vol. 21, no. 12, e70667. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70667

TY - JOUR

T1 - Capacity building in dementia research

T2 - insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia

AU - Morello-Garcia, Florentina

AU - Corvalan, Nicolas

AU - Llibre-Guerra, Jorge

AU - Arruabarrena, Micaela

AU - Clarens, María Florencia

AU - Keller, Greta

AU - Santos, Loana De Los

AU - Martin, Maria Eugenia

AU - Aguzzoli, Cristiano Schaffer

AU - Allegri, Ricardo

AU - Amaral, Livia

AU - Cristalli, Carolina Ardohain

AU - Bellaver, Bruna

AU - Best, Merci Ngozi

AU - Bloomquist, Madeleine

AU - Chen, Kevin

AU - Dubey, Neha

AU - Felix, Cynthia

AU - Slezak, Diego Fernandez

AU - Fontana, Igor Camargo

AU - Garcia-Cordero, Indira

AU - Hernandez, Micaela Anahi

AU - Ismail, Ozama

AU - Johnson, Florence

AU - Khan, Arshia

AU - Koerich, Suelyn

AU - Moreno, Maria Celeste Lopez

AU - Ferreira, Pamela Lukasewicz

AU - Guimet, Nahuel Magrath

AU - Junior, Markley Oliveira

AU - Pascoal, Tharick A.

AU - Povala, Guilherme

AU - Rocha, Andreia

AU - Rodrigues, Matheus Scarpatto

AU - Medeiros, Marina Scop

AU - Ruppert, Emma Patrice

AU - Seibert, Kaitlin

AU - Sexton, Claire

AU - Soares, Carolina

AU - Surace, Ezequiel

AU - Wilks, Hannah

AU - Zimmer, Eduardo

AU - Crivelli, Lucia

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Early-career researchers from low- and middle-income countries face systemic barriers to professional development and leadership growth. This article presents results from an initiative led by the World Young Leaders in Dementia (WYLD), including a leadership-focused session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2024 and a global survey completed by 130 dementia researchers from 17 countries. The survey explored five capacity-building domains critical for leadership development. Over half of the survey respondents stated that scientific research in their country was not prioritized in public policy. Additionally, only 39% report holding full-time academic positions. The most cited challenges included lack of funding sources, training opportunities, and physical workspace. These findings highlight the urgent need to invest in research, training, and infrastructure to support future scientific leaders. As dementia incidence rises, prioritizing capacity building is essential to ensure global equity in research. Highlights: Early-career dementia researchers face major barriers, especially in LMICs. A networking session and a global survey explored capacity-building needs in dementia research. Key obstacles: lack of funding, training, workspace, and protected research time. Leadership development is a critical component of sustainable research capacity.

AB - Early-career researchers from low- and middle-income countries face systemic barriers to professional development and leadership growth. This article presents results from an initiative led by the World Young Leaders in Dementia (WYLD), including a leadership-focused session at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2024 and a global survey completed by 130 dementia researchers from 17 countries. The survey explored five capacity-building domains critical for leadership development. Over half of the survey respondents stated that scientific research in their country was not prioritized in public policy. Additionally, only 39% report holding full-time academic positions. The most cited challenges included lack of funding sources, training opportunities, and physical workspace. These findings highlight the urgent need to invest in research, training, and infrastructure to support future scientific leaders. As dementia incidence rises, prioritizing capacity building is essential to ensure global equity in research. Highlights: Early-career dementia researchers face major barriers, especially in LMICs. A networking session and a global survey explored capacity-building needs in dementia research. Key obstacles: lack of funding, training, workspace, and protected research time. Leadership development is a critical component of sustainable research capacity.

KW - World Young Leaders in Dementia

KW - capacity building

KW - dementia

KW - early career researchers

KW - leadership

KW - low- and middle-income countries

KW - scientific community

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025062137

U2 - 10.1002/alz.70667

DO - 10.1002/alz.70667

M3 - Article

C2 - 41405581

AN - SCOPUS:105025062137

SN - 1552-5260

VL - 21

JO - Alzheimer's and Dementia

JF - Alzheimer's and Dementia

IS - 12

M1 - e70667

ER -

Capacity building in dementia research: insights from the World Young Leaders in Dementia

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Keywords

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