Senate committees approve creation of Hawai‘i Alzheimer’s research center; funding details deferred

The joint Senate Committee on Education and Committee on Health and Human Services voted Feb. 11 to advance SB2657, a bill to establish an Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research center within the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Dr. Kamal Masaki, chair of the department of geriatric medicine, told the committee the proposal is designed as a five‑year phased plan to build research infrastructure and ultimately position Hawai‘i to compete for a National Institute on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center designation. "We have a 5 year phased plan to slowly increase the capacity and infrastructure for research in dementia in the state of Hawai‘i," Masaki said.

Advocates including Colby Chock with the Alzheimer’s Association and community speakers highlighted local prevalence and caregiving impacts. A witness cited an estimate of about 31,200 Hawai‘i residents age 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s‑related dementias.

Committee members queried funding and contingency plans if federal dollars are not secured. Masaki said the initial funding request was to support recruiting a senior neuroscientist and a staff position to coordinate research and noted that federal ADRC designation is highly competitive; building state capacity is the first step.

The committee adopted technical, nonsubstantive amendments and voted to advance the measure while blanking out the appropriation amount for committee reporting and further fiscal review. The chair asked that the university provide the requested budget figures as the bill moves to the money committees.

Next step: SB2657 advances to the Legislature’s budget process for appropriation specifics and potential multi‑year funding plans.