When the Alzheimer's Association was founded in 1980, there was an urgent need to create a community that shared specialized knowledge and understanding of Alzheimer’s. Currently, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Without a medical breakthrough, by 2050, that number will rise to nearly 14 million.
Now, almost 40 years after its founding, the Association has grown into the largest nonprofit organization funding Alzheimer’s and dementia research.
In July 2019, the Association launched its new digital tool, Science Hub, an application that connects researchers and the general public by making new research accessible and providing highlights and insights to the Association's constituents.
Science Hub is a trusted tool for distributing research, spreading awareness and delivering accurate information to stakeholders and advocates across the nation.
Before the Science Hub app was created, the Alzheimer’s Association appointed internal team members or research champions to spread their message to chapters across the country to ensure the public was up-to-date with the latest information on Alzheimer’s disease.
Eventually this process became time-consuming and expensive. In order to help facilitate these concerns, a creative solution emerged to create a digital resource for people to access groundbreaking research and insights. Thus, the Science Hub was born.
Far too often, misinformation and conflicting data on Alzheimer’s makes it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. As a credible source giving context as well as hope, Science Hub takes a step forward in education and empowerment by fostering a community of trust and reliability, and aiming to educate the public with accurate, expert information.
This mission is made possible through the design of key features including:
Viewpoints, a quick summary of key points of published research papers
Feed reminder that enables users to know when they’ve caught up with the latest information
Robust search function where users can access expert opinions on topics of interest
Reference library of all accumulated Alzheimer’s Association content
Science Hub highlights the Association’s credibility as a leader in Alzheimer’s research, resources, community building, and advocacy.
Launched in July 2019, the Science Hub application has seen tremendous success for its users. With a 5-star rating on Apple’s app store, users are finding it to be educational in learning more about Alzheimer’s and beneficial to those who have an interest in Alzheimer’s research:
“This is an amazing resource for those who educate about Alzheimer’s disease. People dealing with this disease need to know there is hope...and all of this research shows just how many people are seeking a new treatment or a cure.”
“This app is so helpful and beneficial to those who have a vested interest in updates within the Alzheimer’s Association efforts to advance research.”
“So much out there on this topic and I can see the most recent with credible viewpoints. Thank you.”
And it doesn’t stop there. The Alzheimer’s Association team is looking to initiate a secondary roll out of the app to additional internal staff, stakeholders, and advocates, while working to connect their researchers to the broader public with the most up-to-date information available.
