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Community, Health, and Family

Brain Trains: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach to Brain Health in Rural and Indigenous Communities in Northern Minnesota Joshua T. Fergen*, Joshua T. Fergen, Melissa Blind, Margaret Noun, Kelsie Larson, Kirsten Cruikshank, Dana Ketcher, Amy Otto, Cliff Whetung, Kristen Jacklin,

This presentation will highlight the design, implementation, and data collected at Brain Train events held in three rural communities and three Tribal Nations in northern Minnesota in 2025 and 2026. Brain Trains are open-house community events where residents visit stations to connect with brain health education, and local service providers and resources through interactive learning experiences. Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team (MK-MDT) partners with local organizations and service providers to design each Brain Train around specific community needs and resources as part of a larger community-based participatory (CBPR) approach. Participants visit multiple interactive stations that provide information and activities on brain health. MK-MDT staff and local partners tailor each event to specific communities (population under 10,000), local partners, and identified needs of people living with dementia and their caregivers. Community priorities, overall goals for the event, and availability of local organizations, service providers, or health care providers may change the scope of the event and what is offered. This means that each Brain Train event is unique.   During Brain Trains we collect survey data on attendees’ attitudes and knowledge of dementia resources and gather baseline information to use as a metric of evidence and evaluation.  All surveys are optional for participants, and no identifying information is collected. These events provide additional opportunities to collaborate with community partners to design research surveys that reflect community priorities. For example, survey results can be used by community partners to help improve local services and resources, as well as for grant reporting and applications. Using the Brain Train model in CBPR research demonstrates ways researchers and local communities can work together to address rural health differences and specific rural community needs