BrainStorm
Bridging the Gap: Nurses Leading the Fight for Alzheimer's Health Equity
Bridging the Gap: Nurses Leading the Fight for Alzheimer's Health Equity
In honor of Black History Month, this episode of BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s explores the critical intersection of Alzheimer's disease and health equity in African-American communities. Host Meryl Comer talks with Daphne Delgado, Vice President for Health Equity at UsAgainstAlzheimer's, and Dr. Charlene Whitaker-Brown, a clinical nursing professor and 2022 Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship graduate. They discuss the stark disparities facing Black Americans—who are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's yet 35% less likely to receive timely diagnosis. Dr. Whitaker-Brown shares her powerful journey from experienced nurse to full-time caregiver, and how the fellowship transformed her ability to serve her community through culturally tailored outreach in churches, workshops, and community centers. The conversation emphasizes the vital role nurses play as trusted frontline educators in promoting brain health, addressing stigma, and connecting families to essential resources. This is a must listen episode!
Produced by Susan Quirk
BRAINSTORM, EP #102
GUESTS: CHARLENE WHITAKER-BROWN, DAPHNE DELGADO
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
DATE: JANUARY 30, 2026
00;00;00;08 - 00;00;24;00
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Oftentimes it's something that's a it's an unspoken word out of someone having memory problems. And oftentimes it's not addressed. And so that within itself, not being addressed carries a big weight on families and those that care for those families who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
00;00;24;02 - 00;00;43;19
VOICEOVER
Welcome to BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer's, a patient centered nonprofit organization. Your host, Meryl Comer, is a co-founder, 24 year caregiver, and Emmy Award winning journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller Slow Dancing with a stranger.
00;00;43;21 - 00;01;10;15
Meryl Comer
This is BrainStorm, and I'm Meryl Comer. In honor of Black History Month, our guest today is Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical associate professor, School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. But first, for background about the program that makes her appearance special is Stephanie Jill Accardo, vice president for health equity at US Against Alzheimer's.
00;01;10;22 - 00;01;19;13
Meryl Comer
Welcome, Daphne. Thank you for joining us. So why should we be talking about Alzheimer's disease during Black History Month?
00;01;19;15 - 00;01;48;20
Daphne Delgado
Thanks, Meryl. And I'm so excited to have, Doctor Whitaker Brown with us today. I think talking about Alzheimer's disease during February is critical because it represents one of the most significant and often silent health crises facing black families today. I think why the conversation is so important is because, firstly, there's a huge disparity. Black Americans are two times as likely than white Americans to develop Alzheimer's or other dementias.
00;01;48;23 - 00;02;25;03
Daphne Delgado
Alzheimer's is already the sixth leading cause of death for all older Americans, but specifically for older black Americans. It's the fourth leading cause of death. And despite being at higher risk, black Americans are 35% less likely to receive a timely diagnosis. They're often being diagnosed in later stages when treatment options are far more limited. So for that reason, US against Alzheimer's cares about eradicating Alzheimer's for everyone and ensuring that everyone has access to evidence based resources.
00;02;25;03 - 00;02;40;14
Daphne Delgado
World class treatment, personalized support, and to ensure that everyone gets what they need. We have to ensure that resources are specially tailored and relevant to each community's unique needs and priorities.
00;02;40;16 - 00;02;50;01
Meryl Comer
On that point, Daphne, how is us against Alzheimer's work to ensure that different communities are reached with relevant resources?
00;02;50;03 - 00;03;29;10
Daphne Delgado
Yeah, I was against Alzheimer's from its inception, was created to serve all communities struggling with Alzheimer's. It's in our mission statement, and it's been part of our work since its inception 14 years ago. We've always have work to build creative and tailored strategies for engagement and information sharing. So I think just a few examples that I would love to highlight of work that we've done to educate people about disparities in Alzheimer's disease includes things like co-creating an award winning stage play called Forget Me Not that showed the immense impact of Alzheimer's on African-American family.
00;03;29;12 - 00;04;07;23
Daphne Delgado
That play aimed to raise awareness and reduce stigma. That play traveled to 27 cities and reached over 30,000 people. We've also created the National Alzheimer's Disease Index, which uses Medicare fee for Medicare, fee for service data to look at national and geographic ten, trends. From there, we were able to identify the top 50 counties with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer's among Black and Latino Americans across the US, and that helped us against Alzheimer's, coordinate awareness efforts, and local efforts by community based organizations.
00;04;07;25 - 00;04;28;02
Daphne Delgado
And then lastly, the one that we're going to spend the more time focused on today is we created the Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship in 2022. And to date, 45 black and Latino nurses have completed the program and 2300 people have been reached with evidence based Alzheimer's prevention information.
00;04;28;05 - 00;04;37;25
Meryl Comer
So where would the gaps that really encourage you to take that step and be creative to create this brain health equity fellowship?
00;04;37;28 - 00;05;11;17
Daphne Delgado
Yeah. What led to the creation of the fellowship is indeed we identified a few key gaps. So firstly, nurses are the largest group of health care providers in the US, and they often serve as the first and only health care professionals that many individuals will encounter. But despite this, we, we saw that nurses receive very little to no dementia specific education on Alzheimer's disease, and they receive minimal training on strategies to promote brain health in the communities they serve.
00;05;11;19 - 00;05;42;07
Daphne Delgado
So we launched the fellowship to advance the role of nurses as frontline leaders in brain health. By equipping Black and Latino nurses with practical knowledge, leadership skills and evidence based communication strategies to support their community engagement and patient education on specifically Alzheimer's disease risk reduction. We're very, very proud of the work that these fellows have done in the fellowship and the difference that they continue to make well after they've completed it.
00;05;42;09 - 00;06;03;02
Daphne Delgado
And I think Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown is a wonderful example of the program success. Charlene was a participant in our 2022 inaugural class, and she has continued to extend the learnings and connections well beyond the scope and timeline of the program. So that's why we're so proud to have Charlene in the USA two family.
00;06;03;04 - 00;06;25;29
Meryl Comer
Thank you. Good afternoon. So now let's welcome doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical associate professor at the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlene, welcome. Thank you for joining us. So what inspired you to become a nurse? Focused on Alzheimer's care?
00;06;26;01 - 00;06;56;17
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know what? Thank you for asking that question. In 2025, I celebrated 20 years being a nurse. So one of the things I'm super excited about is just my journey over time. So my journey has encompassed working as a medical surgical nurse, a nurse in the critical care unit before becoming a family nurse practitioner. Once I became a family nurse practitioner, I worked and treated patients as a nurse practitioner at heart failure.
00;06;56;17 - 00;07;27;15
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So I saw heart failure patients. And then I decided to transition to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. As a result of becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. My key, I would say the key people that are really work with our patients who are caregivers for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. So my heart goes out to these folks because not only am, their provider, but I also live.
00;07;27;17 - 00;07;32;07
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
I live the walk. I live the talk. As a caregiver myself.
00;07;32;09 - 00;07;39;02
Meryl Comer
If you scratch the surface of our lives, many of us have walked that walk with you. Well.
00;07;39;04 - 00;07;44;29
Meryl Comer
Unfortunately, what else shaped your journey? And what do you see as the biggest.
00;07;44;29 - 00;07;45;21
Meryl Comer
Barriers.
00;07;45;21 - 00;08;11;16
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
To equitable Alzheimer's care? You know what? That's another great question. What I normally see. Some big barriers to care are probably being diagnosed late and not early. And then there's also a big stigma still around living with Alzheimer's and dementia. So those are a couple key barriers that I think are really critical. And then also access to health care.
00;08;11;17 - 00;08;19;28
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Sometimes there's a little bit of a delay with getting into a provider to be seen, or the wait list could be six months or nine months out.
00;08;20;01 - 00;08;33;16
Meryl Comer
You know, that issue is across the board for all populations getting to see the right neurologist. Tell me how you go about addressing the issue of disparities.
00;08;33;18 - 00;08;58;02
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes. Yes. So I think it it all boils down to education. If you're able to give, those who need the information that that's a really critical and it's really integral into helping people overcome barriers. So knowledge is power. Really. It really is power. And that's one of the ways that I, I address barriers.
00;08;58;05 - 00;09;09;22
Meryl Comer
So I'm a long time caregiver. Tell me how you interface with someone like me. What do you what do you say to us along the journey?
00;09;09;24 - 00;09;36;14
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, I was actually talking to someone today who's, a long time caregiver and it's one of the things to do is, you know, making sure that you let them know that they're not alone. A lot of people feel like they don't have anyone to talk to, or they don't have anyone that can help support them, but just let them know that there are resources out there and there is help.
00;09;36;16 - 00;09;44;20
Meryl Comer
You brought up an issue of the stigma. How does that affect communities of color around this disease.
00;09;44;25 - 00;10;10;23
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yeah that's that's really good because oftentimes it's something that's a it's an unspoken word of, of someone having memory problems. And oftentimes it's not addressed. And so that within itself not being addressed carries a big weight. Families and those that care for those families who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
00;10;10;26 - 00;10;23;20
Meryl Comer
Daphne, I'd like to bring you back into the conversation. Describe what culturally tailored outreach looks like and why it is so important for both the African-American and Latino communities.
00;10;23;23 - 00;10;55;24
Daphne Delgado
Like Charlene said, education is key. But how communities receive information, how they interact with that information may differ from community to community, state to state. On a whole host of different factors. And so it's about taking what the evidence says and making sure it is heard. So it's making sure that if a community gets most of their information from their local church leader, that you are connected with those churches.
00;10;56;01 - 00;11;22;08
Daphne Delgado
If a community gets their information through radio that you're on the radio, they you're meeting people where they are with people who understand the local community needs, the local community barriers. And the local community facilitator, so many of these community, these communities have wonderful assets. You know, whether it's community centers or tight knit families that can help each other out.
00;11;22;10 - 00;11;41;19
Daphne Delgado
And unless you're on the ground, you may not know of these things. And that's why it's so important you have people like Charlene in communities, people who are from the community able to speak that language and communicate what the evidence and the science says.
00;11;41;21 - 00;11;43;06
Meryl Comer
And trust it as well.
00;11;43;07 - 00;11;43;29
Meryl Comer
You know, as.
00;11;44;06 - 00;12;05;08
Meryl Comer
As Daphne mentioned, the, Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship program was created in 2022. Now, Charlene, you're a very busy lady. You're working. You're caring for a loved one in the family with the disease. How do you decide to apply for the Nurse Health Equity Fellowship?
00;12;05;11 - 00;12;28;29
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yeah. So, in 2022, that's when I started to actually become a full time caregiver. And so at that moment, I didn't have the answers, and I thought I should have the answers. Being a nurse, you would think. Well, I've been in nursing school. I'm a nurse. Why don't I know this information? So I started looking for answers and seeking out more information.
00;12;28;29 - 00;12;40;05
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And that's what led me to apply to the nurse Fellowship, which was by far one of the greatest things I've done. And that was one of the best decisions I've made in my life, believe it or not.
00;12;40;07 - 00;12;51;02
Meryl Comer
Well that's great. Are there some lessons or insights from the fellowship, the change, the way you work that you're excited to pass on to other nurses?
00;12;51;05 - 00;13;09;29
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Well, you know, I think Daphne said it best when she mentioned about meeting people where they are. That's one of the things that we took from the fellowship was meeting people where they were. We knew people where they are. Is it, coming to is as a church function as a as a barbershop? Is it on the radio?
00;13;10;04 - 00;13;27;25
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
But figuring out how to get the information to those who need it in, in what type of process or what way to get them the information? So I think that was like one of the key, key things that I learned in the fellowship, which is so important, so critical.
00;13;27;27 - 00;13;34;13
Meryl Comer
There's always an issue of trust. What strategies help build that connection?
00;13;34;15 - 00;14;04;09
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
One of the things is nurses are known as one of the most trusted professions. And this is actually something I teach to my students. And I had a health assessment class yesterday and I told them, you know, you're learning how to deliver important information and you have to gain the trust of your patients quickly. So one of those things is you have to provide mutual respect, eye contact.
00;14;04;12 - 00;14;23;01
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Talk to them, allow them to respond to you. And then just make sure you provide a safe place for them to talk and elaborate and ask questions. And I think those are some critical steps and tools that you can take to to build trust and also establish that mutual respect.
00;14;23;04 - 00;14;25;15
Meryl Comer
Daphne, is there something you'd like to add to that?
00;14;25;18 - 00;15;02;11
Daphne Delgado
I think one of the things that nurses are so particularly good at, and something that's really key in many black and Latino cultures, is this aspect of storytelling. Nurses are such wonderful storytellers. They're able to advocate on behalf of their patients. They're able to advocate on behalf of the medical team, translate complicated language in a way that many patients and communities understand, translate the needs and the, you know, the priorities of their patients and communities to a medical team.
00;15;02;13 - 00;15;15;24
Daphne Delgado
And those are all values I think are really important, those soft skills that maybe aren't taught in many normal academic settings that we try to bring out through the fellowship process.
00;15;15;26 - 00;15;43;24
Meryl Comer
I don't think there's any family who's had a loved one with Alzheimer's in a hospital, who has not appreciated the nurse, who understood or was comforting in very challenging times. Charlene, the thing that impressed me about the fellowship was that it also is a connector for you to other nurses, other professionals in the field. How did you get involved?
00;15;43;24 - 00;15;48;02
Meryl Comer
And tell us about the caregiver college that you helped support?
00;15;48;04 - 00;16;16;02
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes, absolutely. So a year after the fellowship, I received an email to assist with the caregiver college. So researcher Doctor Goldberg of Wake Forest University Hospital, reached out to me, asking for my assistance and help. I live in, metro community. Of course. As I mentioned, I work at University of North Carolina at Charlotte and living in Charlotte.
00;16;16;03 - 00;16;42;17
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
They needed assistance to put a caregiver put on a caregiver college in my area. And luckily, I was identified as someone who was an expert in the field to help connect them. And being a part of the fellowship allowed me to be identified as someone that is recognizable, that can help collaborate and bring others together. Bring people to the table in.
00;16;42;17 - 00;17;16;13
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
This was an amazing experience. It helped me network with, our local health department and help me network with our local, just local areas, local entities to bring all these folks together to offer more additional information to caregiving families on the basis of what Alzheimer's disease is, how to find out local resources, and then additional things about teaching and understanding, different aspects of caregiving that they might not have thought about, of, or know about.
00;17;16;13 - 00;17;42;05
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So all of those things kind of work together. So it was a really amazing experience. And like I mentioned, applying for the fellowship was by far one of the best decisions that are made. And I was so excited that as a result of being part of the fellowship I was be, I was able to additional additionally offer more help to just a great a great group of people.
00;17;42;08 - 00;18;09;06
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Initially with the fellowship, I just had to talk to nurses and some caregivers as well. But with the caregiver college, I was able to reach more people on a broader scale. And what I often say to them is you're not alone and help is there. And I offer resources that I know about locally, and of course, nationally to help assist them to, to at least reach out and get a support group.
00;18;09;08 - 00;18;27;14
Meryl Comer
And we do know the two thirds of the caregivers are women. As, as a statistic, what advice would you give to other nurses who want to focus on health equity and be part of the fellowship in the future?
00;18;27;17 - 00;18;54;15
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes. What I usually say is go ahead and apply. Go ahead and apply for the fellowship and also seek other opportunities locally to be a part of different agencies, be a part of different clubs, be a part of different organizations. And not only that, it's important to get, involved in the political process. So go to different, functions, on a political scale as well, and be an advocate.
00;18;54;17 - 00;19;18;03
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So making sure you're part of, decisions and talks and make sure making sure, you know, what you you follow up and you know, talk to your local. We're in I live in a county, so talk to like county commissioners. I guess if you're in a different state. Talk to your parish or local people who are decision makers and make sure you lobby for great health care.
00;19;18;05 - 00;19;35;09
Meryl Comer
Charlene, in your role as a nurse, do you find yourself, promoting brain health? And what do you see in underserved communities where there tend to be food deserts? Or it's not so easy to the brain healthy?
00;19;35;11 - 00;20;16;10
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, that's a great question because since the fellowship, I have done more advocacy work regarding brain health and awareness. I've been able to be a guest speaker at various churches. I've also promoted brain health at different workshops. I've also worked. I've done different types of expos and talked about the importance of brain health. I've had an opportunity to work with other nurses who are like nutritionists, and they're able to talk about some nutrition factors and important things to eat, to be brain healthy.
00;20;16;10 - 00;20;48;09
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And then I've had an opportunity to talk to others and collaborate with those who are in physical activity and fitness, and we all work together to talk about how we can collaborate. Nutrition and physical fitness and all of these things are so important and key when we're talking about brain health. And I think all of this stemmed from being, a fellow with us against Alzheimer's, and that has enhanced my advocacy efforts towards brain health.
00;20;48;12 - 00;21;07;28
Meryl Comer
Let me follow up with a question. Because you are on the frontline in the nursing, you're building on a legacy of black leaders and trailblazers, and this is Black History Month. Do you feel your work is additive to that trailblazing that's gone ahead?
00;21;08;01 - 00;21;45;19
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, I often think about when I first started as a nurse. And fast forward to now, you now. And it's amazing how dynamic my career path has taken me. You know, in as far as trailblazing, I think of those who were former nurses or people who, of course, like you mentioned, came ahead of me. But first and foremost, those folks who came ahead of me, I think are like my grandparents who established such a great foundation, and my mom, who instilled in me to always do your best and it continue to move forward.
00;21;45;19 - 00;22;08;11
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
But and as far as those medical leaders and nurse leaders, I think about, like Harriet Tubman, who also in addition to all the great efforts that she did, but she also acted as a nurse in the Civil War and cared for soldiers. So I then I also think about, Mary Mahoney, who was like the first licensed nurse and then coming, of course, full circle.
00;22;08;11 - 00;22;38;22
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Fast forward to to modern day, you know, I think of trailblazers such as, former and president, of course, Beverly Malone. And also, I think of Doctor Ernest Grant as the first, male and a nurse. So all of those things are so integral, and I feel like I'm standing on those shoulders of those great people who've done such great things, ahead of me.
00;22;38;22 - 00;22;43;19
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And I just hope that I can just do half of what they've done. In the future.
00;22;43;22 - 00;23;00;12
Meryl Comer
I'm sure you will. You're a great role model. And from one, you're going to influence many. That's the. That's the goal. Definitely. Looking ahead, what's your hope for the future of nursing and Alzheimer's? Health equity?
00;23;00;19 - 00;23;41;24
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
I'm really optimistic about the fellowship and the role of nurses, in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and care as treatments. And diagnostics get more sophisticated. I think there's a bigger role for primary care providers and for nurses overall. For the fellowship in specific. I mean, I think this program can grow to a huge amount. I mean, I would love to see a nurse in every county in the U.S who knows and is, you know, the point person for Alzheimer's and dementia care.
00;23;41;24 - 00;24;24;18
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
It's certainly a big enough problem nationally. I would love to see nurses and community health centers apply for this program. I think one of the huge, strengths of the program is that each cohort is incredibly diverse in terms of experience, geography, people involved. So you have nurses from every walk of life. And usually in every cohort, we have everyone from current nursing students to people who have retired and this is kind of their second life, you know, being more involved in the community once they've retired and they're doing this part time now, and we have everyone in between, people like Charlene, who are at the height of their career.
00;24;24;20 - 00;24;38;27
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So I'm really, really excited about this. We will be announcing the 2026 class of the fellows in mid February. And we continue to have the program going and growing for many more years to come.
00;24;38;29 - 00;25;03;25
Meryl Comer
Thank you so much. Our guests have been Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical Associate professor, School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Daphne Delgado, vice president for brain health equity at US Against Alzheimer's. That's it for this edition. I'm Arielle Comar. Thank you for brainstorming with us.
00;25;03;27 - 00;25;12;24
VOICEOVER
Subscribe to BrainStorm through your favorite podcast platform and join us for new episodes on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
About This Episode
In honor of Black History Month, this episode of BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s explores the critical intersection of Alzheimer's disease and health equity in African-American communities. Host Meryl Comer talks with Daphne Delgado, Vice President for Health Equity at UsAgainstAlzheimer's, and Dr. Charlene Whitaker-Brown, a clinical nursing professor and 2022 Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship graduate. They discuss the stark disparities facing Black Americans—who are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's yet 35% less likely to receive timely diagnosis. Dr. Whitaker-Brown shares her powerful journey from experienced nurse to full-time caregiver, and how the fellowship transformed her ability to serve her community through culturally tailored outreach in churches, workshops, and community centers. The conversation emphasizes the vital role nurses play as trusted frontline educators in promoting brain health, addressing stigma, and connecting families to essential resources. This is a must listen episode!
Produced by Susan Quirk
Transcript
BRAINSTORM, EP #102
GUESTS: CHARLENE WHITAKER-BROWN, DAPHNE DELGADO
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
DATE: JANUARY 30, 2026
00;00;00;08 - 00;00;24;00
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Oftentimes it's something that's a it's an unspoken word out of someone having memory problems. And oftentimes it's not addressed. And so that within itself, not being addressed carries a big weight on families and those that care for those families who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
00;00;24;02 - 00;00;43;19
VOICEOVER
Welcome to BrainStorm by UsAgainstAlzheimer's, a patient centered nonprofit organization. Your host, Meryl Comer, is a co-founder, 24 year caregiver, and Emmy Award winning journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller Slow Dancing with a stranger.
00;00;43;21 - 00;01;10;15
Meryl Comer
This is BrainStorm, and I'm Meryl Comer. In honor of Black History Month, our guest today is Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical associate professor, School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. But first, for background about the program that makes her appearance special is Stephanie Jill Accardo, vice president for health equity at US Against Alzheimer's.
00;01;10;22 - 00;01;19;13
Meryl Comer
Welcome, Daphne. Thank you for joining us. So why should we be talking about Alzheimer's disease during Black History Month?
00;01;19;15 - 00;01;48;20
Daphne Delgado
Thanks, Meryl. And I'm so excited to have, Doctor Whitaker Brown with us today. I think talking about Alzheimer's disease during February is critical because it represents one of the most significant and often silent health crises facing black families today. I think why the conversation is so important is because, firstly, there's a huge disparity. Black Americans are two times as likely than white Americans to develop Alzheimer's or other dementias.
00;01;48;23 - 00;02;25;03
Daphne Delgado
Alzheimer's is already the sixth leading cause of death for all older Americans, but specifically for older black Americans. It's the fourth leading cause of death. And despite being at higher risk, black Americans are 35% less likely to receive a timely diagnosis. They're often being diagnosed in later stages when treatment options are far more limited. So for that reason, US against Alzheimer's cares about eradicating Alzheimer's for everyone and ensuring that everyone has access to evidence based resources.
00;02;25;03 - 00;02;40;14
Daphne Delgado
World class treatment, personalized support, and to ensure that everyone gets what they need. We have to ensure that resources are specially tailored and relevant to each community's unique needs and priorities.
00;02;40;16 - 00;02;50;01
Meryl Comer
On that point, Daphne, how is us against Alzheimer's work to ensure that different communities are reached with relevant resources?
00;02;50;03 - 00;03;29;10
Daphne Delgado
Yeah, I was against Alzheimer's from its inception, was created to serve all communities struggling with Alzheimer's. It's in our mission statement, and it's been part of our work since its inception 14 years ago. We've always have work to build creative and tailored strategies for engagement and information sharing. So I think just a few examples that I would love to highlight of work that we've done to educate people about disparities in Alzheimer's disease includes things like co-creating an award winning stage play called Forget Me Not that showed the immense impact of Alzheimer's on African-American family.
00;03;29;12 - 00;04;07;23
Daphne Delgado
That play aimed to raise awareness and reduce stigma. That play traveled to 27 cities and reached over 30,000 people. We've also created the National Alzheimer's Disease Index, which uses Medicare fee for Medicare, fee for service data to look at national and geographic ten, trends. From there, we were able to identify the top 50 counties with the highest prevalence of Alzheimer's among Black and Latino Americans across the US, and that helped us against Alzheimer's, coordinate awareness efforts, and local efforts by community based organizations.
00;04;07;25 - 00;04;28;02
Daphne Delgado
And then lastly, the one that we're going to spend the more time focused on today is we created the Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship in 2022. And to date, 45 black and Latino nurses have completed the program and 2300 people have been reached with evidence based Alzheimer's prevention information.
00;04;28;05 - 00;04;37;25
Meryl Comer
So where would the gaps that really encourage you to take that step and be creative to create this brain health equity fellowship?
00;04;37;28 - 00;05;11;17
Daphne Delgado
Yeah. What led to the creation of the fellowship is indeed we identified a few key gaps. So firstly, nurses are the largest group of health care providers in the US, and they often serve as the first and only health care professionals that many individuals will encounter. But despite this, we, we saw that nurses receive very little to no dementia specific education on Alzheimer's disease, and they receive minimal training on strategies to promote brain health in the communities they serve.
00;05;11;19 - 00;05;42;07
Daphne Delgado
So we launched the fellowship to advance the role of nurses as frontline leaders in brain health. By equipping Black and Latino nurses with practical knowledge, leadership skills and evidence based communication strategies to support their community engagement and patient education on specifically Alzheimer's disease risk reduction. We're very, very proud of the work that these fellows have done in the fellowship and the difference that they continue to make well after they've completed it.
00;05;42;09 - 00;06;03;02
Daphne Delgado
And I think Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown is a wonderful example of the program success. Charlene was a participant in our 2022 inaugural class, and she has continued to extend the learnings and connections well beyond the scope and timeline of the program. So that's why we're so proud to have Charlene in the USA two family.
00;06;03;04 - 00;06;25;29
Meryl Comer
Thank you. Good afternoon. So now let's welcome doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical associate professor at the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Charlene, welcome. Thank you for joining us. So what inspired you to become a nurse? Focused on Alzheimer's care?
00;06;26;01 - 00;06;56;17
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know what? Thank you for asking that question. In 2025, I celebrated 20 years being a nurse. So one of the things I'm super excited about is just my journey over time. So my journey has encompassed working as a medical surgical nurse, a nurse in the critical care unit before becoming a family nurse practitioner. Once I became a family nurse practitioner, I worked and treated patients as a nurse practitioner at heart failure.
00;06;56;17 - 00;07;27;15
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So I saw heart failure patients. And then I decided to transition to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. As a result of becoming a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. My key, I would say the key people that are really work with our patients who are caregivers for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. So my heart goes out to these folks because not only am, their provider, but I also live.
00;07;27;17 - 00;07;32;07
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
I live the walk. I live the talk. As a caregiver myself.
00;07;32;09 - 00;07;39;02
Meryl Comer
If you scratch the surface of our lives, many of us have walked that walk with you. Well.
00;07;39;04 - 00;07;44;29
Meryl Comer
Unfortunately, what else shaped your journey? And what do you see as the biggest.
00;07;44;29 - 00;07;45;21
Meryl Comer
Barriers.
00;07;45;21 - 00;08;11;16
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
To equitable Alzheimer's care? You know what? That's another great question. What I normally see. Some big barriers to care are probably being diagnosed late and not early. And then there's also a big stigma still around living with Alzheimer's and dementia. So those are a couple key barriers that I think are really critical. And then also access to health care.
00;08;11;17 - 00;08;19;28
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Sometimes there's a little bit of a delay with getting into a provider to be seen, or the wait list could be six months or nine months out.
00;08;20;01 - 00;08;33;16
Meryl Comer
You know, that issue is across the board for all populations getting to see the right neurologist. Tell me how you go about addressing the issue of disparities.
00;08;33;18 - 00;08;58;02
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes. Yes. So I think it it all boils down to education. If you're able to give, those who need the information that that's a really critical and it's really integral into helping people overcome barriers. So knowledge is power. Really. It really is power. And that's one of the ways that I, I address barriers.
00;08;58;05 - 00;09;09;22
Meryl Comer
So I'm a long time caregiver. Tell me how you interface with someone like me. What do you what do you say to us along the journey?
00;09;09;24 - 00;09;36;14
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, I was actually talking to someone today who's, a long time caregiver and it's one of the things to do is, you know, making sure that you let them know that they're not alone. A lot of people feel like they don't have anyone to talk to, or they don't have anyone that can help support them, but just let them know that there are resources out there and there is help.
00;09;36;16 - 00;09;44;20
Meryl Comer
You brought up an issue of the stigma. How does that affect communities of color around this disease.
00;09;44;25 - 00;10;10;23
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yeah that's that's really good because oftentimes it's something that's a it's an unspoken word of, of someone having memory problems. And oftentimes it's not addressed. And so that within itself not being addressed carries a big weight. Families and those that care for those families who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
00;10;10;26 - 00;10;23;20
Meryl Comer
Daphne, I'd like to bring you back into the conversation. Describe what culturally tailored outreach looks like and why it is so important for both the African-American and Latino communities.
00;10;23;23 - 00;10;55;24
Daphne Delgado
Like Charlene said, education is key. But how communities receive information, how they interact with that information may differ from community to community, state to state. On a whole host of different factors. And so it's about taking what the evidence says and making sure it is heard. So it's making sure that if a community gets most of their information from their local church leader, that you are connected with those churches.
00;10;56;01 - 00;11;22;08
Daphne Delgado
If a community gets their information through radio that you're on the radio, they you're meeting people where they are with people who understand the local community needs, the local community barriers. And the local community facilitator, so many of these community, these communities have wonderful assets. You know, whether it's community centers or tight knit families that can help each other out.
00;11;22;10 - 00;11;41;19
Daphne Delgado
And unless you're on the ground, you may not know of these things. And that's why it's so important you have people like Charlene in communities, people who are from the community able to speak that language and communicate what the evidence and the science says.
00;11;41;21 - 00;11;43;06
Meryl Comer
And trust it as well.
00;11;43;07 - 00;11;43;29
Meryl Comer
You know, as.
00;11;44;06 - 00;12;05;08
Meryl Comer
As Daphne mentioned, the, Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship program was created in 2022. Now, Charlene, you're a very busy lady. You're working. You're caring for a loved one in the family with the disease. How do you decide to apply for the Nurse Health Equity Fellowship?
00;12;05;11 - 00;12;28;29
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yeah. So, in 2022, that's when I started to actually become a full time caregiver. And so at that moment, I didn't have the answers, and I thought I should have the answers. Being a nurse, you would think. Well, I've been in nursing school. I'm a nurse. Why don't I know this information? So I started looking for answers and seeking out more information.
00;12;28;29 - 00;12;40;05
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And that's what led me to apply to the nurse Fellowship, which was by far one of the greatest things I've done. And that was one of the best decisions I've made in my life, believe it or not.
00;12;40;07 - 00;12;51;02
Meryl Comer
Well that's great. Are there some lessons or insights from the fellowship, the change, the way you work that you're excited to pass on to other nurses?
00;12;51;05 - 00;13;09;29
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Well, you know, I think Daphne said it best when she mentioned about meeting people where they are. That's one of the things that we took from the fellowship was meeting people where they were. We knew people where they are. Is it, coming to is as a church function as a as a barbershop? Is it on the radio?
00;13;10;04 - 00;13;27;25
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
But figuring out how to get the information to those who need it in, in what type of process or what way to get them the information? So I think that was like one of the key, key things that I learned in the fellowship, which is so important, so critical.
00;13;27;27 - 00;13;34;13
Meryl Comer
There's always an issue of trust. What strategies help build that connection?
00;13;34;15 - 00;14;04;09
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
One of the things is nurses are known as one of the most trusted professions. And this is actually something I teach to my students. And I had a health assessment class yesterday and I told them, you know, you're learning how to deliver important information and you have to gain the trust of your patients quickly. So one of those things is you have to provide mutual respect, eye contact.
00;14;04;12 - 00;14;23;01
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Talk to them, allow them to respond to you. And then just make sure you provide a safe place for them to talk and elaborate and ask questions. And I think those are some critical steps and tools that you can take to to build trust and also establish that mutual respect.
00;14;23;04 - 00;14;25;15
Meryl Comer
Daphne, is there something you'd like to add to that?
00;14;25;18 - 00;15;02;11
Daphne Delgado
I think one of the things that nurses are so particularly good at, and something that's really key in many black and Latino cultures, is this aspect of storytelling. Nurses are such wonderful storytellers. They're able to advocate on behalf of their patients. They're able to advocate on behalf of the medical team, translate complicated language in a way that many patients and communities understand, translate the needs and the, you know, the priorities of their patients and communities to a medical team.
00;15;02;13 - 00;15;15;24
Daphne Delgado
And those are all values I think are really important, those soft skills that maybe aren't taught in many normal academic settings that we try to bring out through the fellowship process.
00;15;15;26 - 00;15;43;24
Meryl Comer
I don't think there's any family who's had a loved one with Alzheimer's in a hospital, who has not appreciated the nurse, who understood or was comforting in very challenging times. Charlene, the thing that impressed me about the fellowship was that it also is a connector for you to other nurses, other professionals in the field. How did you get involved?
00;15;43;24 - 00;15;48;02
Meryl Comer
And tell us about the caregiver college that you helped support?
00;15;48;04 - 00;16;16;02
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes, absolutely. So a year after the fellowship, I received an email to assist with the caregiver college. So researcher Doctor Goldberg of Wake Forest University Hospital, reached out to me, asking for my assistance and help. I live in, metro community. Of course. As I mentioned, I work at University of North Carolina at Charlotte and living in Charlotte.
00;16;16;03 - 00;16;42;17
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
They needed assistance to put a caregiver put on a caregiver college in my area. And luckily, I was identified as someone who was an expert in the field to help connect them. And being a part of the fellowship allowed me to be identified as someone that is recognizable, that can help collaborate and bring others together. Bring people to the table in.
00;16;42;17 - 00;17;16;13
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
This was an amazing experience. It helped me network with, our local health department and help me network with our local, just local areas, local entities to bring all these folks together to offer more additional information to caregiving families on the basis of what Alzheimer's disease is, how to find out local resources, and then additional things about teaching and understanding, different aspects of caregiving that they might not have thought about, of, or know about.
00;17;16;13 - 00;17;42;05
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So all of those things kind of work together. So it was a really amazing experience. And like I mentioned, applying for the fellowship was by far one of the best decisions that are made. And I was so excited that as a result of being part of the fellowship I was be, I was able to additional additionally offer more help to just a great a great group of people.
00;17;42;08 - 00;18;09;06
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Initially with the fellowship, I just had to talk to nurses and some caregivers as well. But with the caregiver college, I was able to reach more people on a broader scale. And what I often say to them is you're not alone and help is there. And I offer resources that I know about locally, and of course, nationally to help assist them to, to at least reach out and get a support group.
00;18;09;08 - 00;18;27;14
Meryl Comer
And we do know the two thirds of the caregivers are women. As, as a statistic, what advice would you give to other nurses who want to focus on health equity and be part of the fellowship in the future?
00;18;27;17 - 00;18;54;15
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Yes. What I usually say is go ahead and apply. Go ahead and apply for the fellowship and also seek other opportunities locally to be a part of different agencies, be a part of different clubs, be a part of different organizations. And not only that, it's important to get, involved in the political process. So go to different, functions, on a political scale as well, and be an advocate.
00;18;54;17 - 00;19;18;03
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So making sure you're part of, decisions and talks and make sure making sure, you know, what you you follow up and you know, talk to your local. We're in I live in a county, so talk to like county commissioners. I guess if you're in a different state. Talk to your parish or local people who are decision makers and make sure you lobby for great health care.
00;19;18;05 - 00;19;35;09
Meryl Comer
Charlene, in your role as a nurse, do you find yourself, promoting brain health? And what do you see in underserved communities where there tend to be food deserts? Or it's not so easy to the brain healthy?
00;19;35;11 - 00;20;16;10
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, that's a great question because since the fellowship, I have done more advocacy work regarding brain health and awareness. I've been able to be a guest speaker at various churches. I've also promoted brain health at different workshops. I've also worked. I've done different types of expos and talked about the importance of brain health. I've had an opportunity to work with other nurses who are like nutritionists, and they're able to talk about some nutrition factors and important things to eat, to be brain healthy.
00;20;16;10 - 00;20;48;09
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And then I've had an opportunity to talk to others and collaborate with those who are in physical activity and fitness, and we all work together to talk about how we can collaborate. Nutrition and physical fitness and all of these things are so important and key when we're talking about brain health. And I think all of this stemmed from being, a fellow with us against Alzheimer's, and that has enhanced my advocacy efforts towards brain health.
00;20;48;12 - 00;21;07;28
Meryl Comer
Let me follow up with a question. Because you are on the frontline in the nursing, you're building on a legacy of black leaders and trailblazers, and this is Black History Month. Do you feel your work is additive to that trailblazing that's gone ahead?
00;21;08;01 - 00;21;45;19
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
You know, I often think about when I first started as a nurse. And fast forward to now, you now. And it's amazing how dynamic my career path has taken me. You know, in as far as trailblazing, I think of those who were former nurses or people who, of course, like you mentioned, came ahead of me. But first and foremost, those folks who came ahead of me, I think are like my grandparents who established such a great foundation, and my mom, who instilled in me to always do your best and it continue to move forward.
00;21;45;19 - 00;22;08;11
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
But and as far as those medical leaders and nurse leaders, I think about, like Harriet Tubman, who also in addition to all the great efforts that she did, but she also acted as a nurse in the Civil War and cared for soldiers. So I then I also think about, Mary Mahoney, who was like the first licensed nurse and then coming, of course, full circle.
00;22;08;11 - 00;22;38;22
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
Fast forward to to modern day, you know, I think of trailblazers such as, former and president, of course, Beverly Malone. And also, I think of Doctor Ernest Grant as the first, male and a nurse. So all of those things are so integral, and I feel like I'm standing on those shoulders of those great people who've done such great things, ahead of me.
00;22;38;22 - 00;22;43;19
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
And I just hope that I can just do half of what they've done. In the future.
00;22;43;22 - 00;23;00;12
Meryl Comer
I'm sure you will. You're a great role model. And from one, you're going to influence many. That's the. That's the goal. Definitely. Looking ahead, what's your hope for the future of nursing and Alzheimer's? Health equity?
00;23;00;19 - 00;23;41;24
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
I'm really optimistic about the fellowship and the role of nurses, in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and care as treatments. And diagnostics get more sophisticated. I think there's a bigger role for primary care providers and for nurses overall. For the fellowship in specific. I mean, I think this program can grow to a huge amount. I mean, I would love to see a nurse in every county in the U.S who knows and is, you know, the point person for Alzheimer's and dementia care.
00;23;41;24 - 00;24;24;18
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
It's certainly a big enough problem nationally. I would love to see nurses and community health centers apply for this program. I think one of the huge, strengths of the program is that each cohort is incredibly diverse in terms of experience, geography, people involved. So you have nurses from every walk of life. And usually in every cohort, we have everyone from current nursing students to people who have retired and this is kind of their second life, you know, being more involved in the community once they've retired and they're doing this part time now, and we have everyone in between, people like Charlene, who are at the height of their career.
00;24;24;20 - 00;24;38;27
Charlene Whitaker-Brown
So I'm really, really excited about this. We will be announcing the 2026 class of the fellows in mid February. And we continue to have the program going and growing for many more years to come.
00;24;38;29 - 00;25;03;25
Meryl Comer
Thank you so much. Our guests have been Doctor Charlene Whitaker Brown, clinical Associate professor, School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Daphne Delgado, vice president for brain health equity at US Against Alzheimer's. That's it for this edition. I'm Arielle Comar. Thank you for brainstorming with us.
00;25;03;27 - 00;25;12;24
VOICEOVER
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