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Donate Now— Champions Program awards public health professionals working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve brain health, address dementia, support caregivers —
CHICAGO, April 23, 2025 — The Alzheimer’s Association announced today the inaugural cohort of the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Road Map Champions Program — 15 public health professionals will receive funding, training and technical assistance to help implement public health strategies for addressing brain health, caregiving and dementia outlined in the recently released HBI: Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples. This program is being led in partnership with the American Indian Public Health Resource Center (AIPHRC) at North Dakota State University.Inaugural participants in the new Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) Road Map Champions Program are from the following tribes, programs, and organizations:
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
- The Destiny Program Corporation
- Elbowoods Memorial Health Center
- Fallon-Paiute Shoshone Tribe
- Forest County Potawatomi Community
- Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center: Michigan
- Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center: Minnesota
- Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center: Wisconsin
- Juaneño Band of Mission Indians Acjachemen Nation
- Minneapolis American Indian Center
- Native American Development Corporation
- Northwest Washington Indian Health Board
- Rising REZilience
- San Ildefonso Pueblo
- Spirit Lake Tribe
The 15 Road Map Champions will assess local strengths and needs related to dementia, share dementia-related knowledge with community members, and prioritize and implement actions from the Road Map — all while emphasizing a strengths-based approach that honors cultures and incorporates the indigenous and social determinants of health.
“The American Indian Public Health Resource Center is honored to be a partner with the Alzheimer’s Association for the first cohort of Champions for the Healthy Brain Initiative: Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples,” said Ashley Littlewolf, AIPHRC project manager. “We’re excited to see the impactful work of these diverse and talented Champion organizations across the nation towards supporting healthy brain activities in their communities.”
First released in 2019, the HBI: Road Map for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples was updated in December 2024. It offers public health strategies communities can adopt to improve brain health, address dementia and better meet the needs of caregivers. The Road Map reflects input from tribal leaders, physicians, experts and researchers in public health.
Partner organizations making the program possible also include Emory Centers for Public Health Training and Technical Assistance and the Urban Indian Health Institute.
The Healthy Brain Initiative and Road Map Champion Program are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $14,229,665 with 100% funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.
About the Healthy Brain Initiative
The Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) improves understanding of brain health as a central part of public health practice. The initiative is guided by the vision that everyone deserves a life with the healthiest brain possible. The HBI creates and supports partnerships, collects and reports data, increases awareness of brain health, supports populations highly impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and promotes the use of its Road Map Series. The HBI Road Map Series provides actionable steps to promote brain health, address cognitive impairment and meet the needs of caregivers.