Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ralph H. Johnson Health Care System becomes first VA site to join ALZ-NET

April 6, 2026

By By Sheena K. Aurora, M.D.
Vice President, Medical Affairs,
Alzheimer’s Association

Alzheimer’s Association

The Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration (VA) Health Care System in Charleston, South Carolina, has become the first VA site in the United States to join the Alzheimer’s Network for Treatment and Diagnostics (ALZ-NET), allowing VA clinicians to contribute real-world data on how newly approved therapies perform in Veteran patients.

This partnership helps provide more opportunities for the estimated 500,000 U.S. military Veterans currently living with Alzheimer’s disease to receive high-quality, closely monitored care today while generating insights that could improve future diagnosis and treatment tomorrow.

“This milestone marks an important step in expanding research collaboration between VA and the Alzheimer’s Association, strengthening our commitment to transform research with the goal of improving clinical care for our Veteran population,” said Grant Huang, MPH, Ph.D., VA Acting Chief Research and Development Officer. “Both our organizations share a sense of urgency to help Veterans living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and we’re proud to be working together in this important effort.”

Launched in 2021, ALZ-NET is the first nationwide registry designed to collect real-world clinical and imaging data from people being evaluated for FDA-approved therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. By connecting clinicians, researchers, and health systems to data from their own patients, as well as sites across the country, ALZ-NET empowers doctors to make faster, data-driven decisions earlier in the course of diagnosis and treatment.

In 2023, VA announced coverage for amyloid-targeting Alzheimer’s therapies. Amyloid plaques are abnormal deposits of protein that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and negatively affect cognitive function. The FDA approved the first monoclonal antibody treatment targeting these plaques that same year.

In the fall of 2023, VA opened the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias National Coordinating Center (ADRD MCC) in Charleston to provide new treatments (such as amyloid-targeting therapies) to Veterans and coordinate efforts to bring research, new medicines, and clinical practice closer together. VA’s participation in ALZ-NET is being managed by the ADRD NCC as part of its mission to integrate clinical and research services to improve care for Veterans with Alzheimer’s disease.

Centralizing certain activities within ADRD NCC will also allow more VA sites to be incorporated into ALZ-NET, with plans to expand inclusion to VA sites in Pittsburgh; Albany, New York; and more.

“We are energized by this partnership to support Veterans living with Alzheimer’s, along with their families and caregivers,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., chief science officer and medical affairs lead at the Alzheimer’s Association. “We look forward to connecting more VA medical centers nationwide to ALZ-NET’s robust resources to support the best care possible for Veterans.”

ALZ-NET supports evidence-based diagnosis, treatment, and quality care while reducing the burden of clinical assessment, monitoring, and care planning. Interested VA clinicians and researchers can learn more at alznetproviders.org.

Patients, families, and caregivers who participate in ALZ-NET through their health care providers will always have access to support and resources through the Alzheimer’s Association. Interested patients and caregivers can learn more at alz-net.org.

To learn more about VA’s research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, visit the VA Office of Research and Development Alzheimer’s topic page.

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