Atlantic Fellows Receive Major Award to Help Tackle Dementia in Ethiopia and Kenya

A team of Atlantic Fellows together with faculty at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and its global partners have been awarded a major award from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch BRIDGE-AFRICA, a new initiative focused on improving brain health in East Africa. The project will help create Centers of Excellence for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in Ethiopia and Kenya, where the number of people affected by these conditions is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. 

Local Leadership, Global Collaboration 

BRIDGE-AFRICA—short for Building Research Infrastructure for Dementia Gaps in East Africa—brings together UCSF, the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and Aga Khan University in Kenya. The project was developed through the leadership of Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health and builds on locally driven efforts to strengthen brain health research, care, and community engagement. With support from UCSF, the team will build local research capacity, develop better tools to diagnose dementia, and lay the groundwork for future efforts to prevent the disease. 

The initiative draws on more than 10 years of research and training in the region through the Atlantic Fellows for Equity in Brain Health program at the Global Brain Health Institute. 

“Our aim is to build lasting systems that support prevention, not just diagnosis,” said Chi Udeh-Momoh, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health and a translational neuroscientist at Aga Khan University and Wake Forest University. “By identifying and addressing risk factors early, and by supporting local scientists and health workers, we can reduce the impact of dementia and ensure the solutions come from within the region.” 

Laying the Groundwork: Tools and Training 

In the first two years of the project (UG3 phase), the team will expand an existing battery of memory and thinking tests that work across different cultures, adapt important clinical tools for use in East Africa, and design safe and respectful ways to collect and store blood samples for future research. This work builds on an GBHI’s investment to build harmonized multidomain cognitive assessments for diverse populations. Protocols are underway in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Israel, and Botswana, addressing a present need for tools for cognitive assessment in Africa.  

“This award joins the recently funded AFRICA-FINGERS protocol as the second international funding stream to benefit from GBHI’s strategic investment in cognitive assessment tools tailored for African contexts,” said Victor Valcour, Site Director of GBHI at UCSF.  

In later years (UH3 phase), the team will test how well these tools work and analyze the potential of blood-based tests to help detect Alzheimer’s disease in African populations. 

“This collaboration places African scientists and communities at the center,” said Yared Zewde, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health and Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Addis Ababa. “By working closely with local communities and listening to their needs, we are building a foundation for dementia research that will last far beyond this project.”  

Prevention, Equity and Lasting Impact 

A key focus of BRIDGE-AFRICA is identifying and addressing modifiable risk factors—such as high blood pressure, poor nutrition, limited social connection, and physical inactivity—that can increase a person’s chances of developing dementia. The project will use community-based approaches to find practical, locally appropriate ways to reduce these risks. 

“We’re creating tools that are truly shaped by the people and cultures they are meant to serve,” said Elena Tsoy, Assistant Professor of Neuropsychology at UCSF and faculty member at GBHI. “This is about building a strong, lasting foundation for brain health, where research and care reflect the realities of life in Ethiopia and Kenya.”  

The BRIDGE-AFRICA project will benefit from the growing Atlantic Fellows network in Africa, which includes trained brain health leaders in 16 countries. 

As life expectancy increases across Sub-Saharan Africa, dementia is becoming a more urgent public health challenge. BRIDGE-AFRICA is a timely and community-led effort to address this need—driven by science, grounded in equity, and focused on lasting impact.