Development of a web platform to advance data-driven recruitment for ADRD research

To meet increasing investments in research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD), investigators must efficiently recruit diverse and representative participant samples. To address this challenge, the Vanderbilt Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) sought to develop an integrated digital research infrastructure with a web-based platform.

In Fall 2021, we partnered with collaborators and developed the Participant Information Tracking and Coordinating Hub (PITCH). PITCH was developed with a novel iterative user-centered design, allowing for continuous platform development and enhancement.

With PITCH we evaluate community-based recruitment strategies, monitor participant progression through the study enrollment pipeline, and simultaneously enrich multiple ADRD studies. The PITCH platform has improved ADRC recruitment efficiency and effectiveness in meeting enrollment goals for two ongoing ADRD cohort studies.

With PITCH and data-driven recruitment we will centralize all institutional ADRD research recruitment and successfully enroll more representative samples of research participants.

Researchers face challenges recruiting diverse samples with limited recruitment budgets. The Vanderbilt ADRC developed a web platform to enhance recruitment and retention. PITCH builds on previous centralized, data-driven research recruitment models. PITCH has expedited recruitment and study timelines and ensured better inclusion of underrepresented groups.