UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital to Participate in Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative US Fellowship Program
Southbridge, MA - UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital is proud to announce that it has been selected as one of 10 U.S. healthcare systems to participate in the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Healthcare System Preparedness U.S. Fellowship program. Through this program, UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital will play a critical role in refining an early detection digital blueprint that provides scalable, evidence-based training and technical assistance for sites to implement early detection workflow in primary care.
The project is designed to support health systems in implementing early detection of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in primary care settings across the United States. It is led by the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), a pioneering worldwide initiative seeking to cure Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain health.
“We are proud to be one of the ten hospitals chosen to take part in this important program,” said Francis Powers, MD, Chief Medical Officer at UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital. “This initiative reflects our commitment to exceptional, local and accessible care by advancing early detection of cognitive impairment in primary care. By improving Alzheimer’s monitoring and supporting timely diagnoses, we can enhance health outcomes and provide better resources for patients and their families.”
“Through this fellowship program, we are partnering with UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital and nine other diverse healthcare systems nationwide to accelerate the adoption of early detection for cognitive impairment using the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness Blueprint. The program will produce a U.S.-specific early detection Blueprint, offering evidence-based training and tools to enable health systems to implement programs quickly and sustainably, ultimately improving access to cognitive evaluation for millions of Americans,” said Tim MacLeod, Ph.D., director of DAC Healthcare System Preparedness.
UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital will receive seed funding to support the implementation of early detection programs, along with comprehensive coaching and technical assistance on program delivery from DAC experts based on the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness Early Detection Blueprint. UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital will share learnings with the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness team and each other in regular community of practice meetings throughout the program’s duration – through Q1 2026.
Other sites participating in the US Fellowship program include:
- CommonSpirit (Illinois)
- Emory University/Emory Healthcare (Georgia)
- Family Health Centers of Southern Indiana
- Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
- Penn Medicine (University of Pennsylvania)
- SCAN Health Plan (California)
- University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Health
- Virtua Health and Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine (New Jersey)
About UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital
UMass Memorial Health – Harrington Hospital serves patients across more than 25 communities throughout South Central Massachusetts and Northeastern Connecticut. As part of the UMass Memorial Health system, Harrington Hospital offers medical and surgical inpatient care, two 24-hour emergency departments, inpatient adult psychiatry, an intensive care unit, Cancer Center at Harrington, and an array of outpatient services. Additionally, Harrington Hospital offers physician offices in Webster, Charlton, Sturbridge and two Urgent Care Express at Harrington clinics in Oxford and Southbridge. For more information, visit www.ummhealth.org/harrington.
About the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC) is a pioneering worldwide initiative to cure Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, seeking to mirror the success of global efforts against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Covid, and Malaria. DAC is extending global research beyond its current focus on traditional Western European ethnic populations into the highly diversified populations of the Global South, where the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s live. By introducing lower-cost screening and diagnostic tools as well as new treatment and prevention modalities in primary care and community health settings, DAC is driving implementation of health system solutions that are appropriate for worldwide application. DAC also promotes the vital importance of brain health throughout the lifespan by addressing cardiometabolic and lifestyle factors, especially in early and mid-life. Absent effective action at scale around the world, by 2050, more than 150 million families and half a billion people will be personally impacted by dementia, creating a social, financial, economic, and global security disaster of historic proportions. DAC was launched in Davos in 2021 by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease. For more information, please visit: https://www.davosalzheimerscollaborative.org.
#####
January 21, 2025
Contact: Kristy Lee
617-388-5555
kristy.lee@umassmemorial.org