DSU receives grants for Alzheimer research training & summer program

Courtesy of Delaware State University

Delaware State University’s Department of Biological Science has been awarded two grants totaling more than $500,000 for Alzheimer’s disease clinical training and a summer STEM program.

DSU has partnered with Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) and will receive $198,000 out of an almost $2 million grant from the National Institute of Health’s Research Education Program. The grant focuses on training the next generation of African American scientists in Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment.

Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (including DSU students) will receive research training at Delaware State University and then go on to clinical training at TJU.

DSU’s Dr. Hakeem Lawal, Professor of Biological Sciences, is one of three Principal Investigators for the grant, joining TJU’s Barry Rovner and Dr. Susan Parks.

“It positions DSU as a nationally recognized leader in undergraduate research training,” Dr. Lawal said. “It is a grant that will support the training of HBCU students to become the next generation of diverse doctors and medical professionals who can better care for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia patients.”

Dr. Lawal is also the Principal Investigator in a National Science Foundation grant of $419,001 to fund research experiences for undergraduates in the area of cellular and molecular biology. Dr. DSU’s Dr. Erin Perchiniak, Associate Professor of Cell Biology, is a co-PI in the grant.

The grant will support a 2024 summer undergraduate research program at Delaware State University, in which students from DSU and other HBCUs will participate in an interdisciplinary summer program to foster their advancement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Dr. Lawal said this also establishes DSU as a hub for students from other HBCUs to come for science research experiences.