The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic AD/ADRD Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2026 Health Care Systems Scholars Program. Recipients were selected from an impressive group of competitive applications.
About the Health Care Systems Scholars Program
The Health Care Systems Scholars Program is a 1-year mentored experience that supports mid-career investigators (MD, PhD, or equivalent) in partnering with a health care system (HCS) that provides care for people living with dementia (PLWD) or their care partners.
Through funded, protected time, Scholars have the opportunity to:
- Build meaningful relationships with HCS staff at all levels, from frontline clinicians and direct care providers to system leaders.
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the HCS, including staff-identified needs of PLWD and care partners, organizational priorities, clinical workflows, data infrastructure, and processes for implementing new programs.
- Engage HCS staff in identifying opportunities to improve and/or evaluate dementia care and enhance understanding of what it means to conduct embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) within their setting(s).
- Co-develop a research proposal for an ePCT aimed at improving care for PLWD and care partners.
In addition to their time embedded within a HCS, Scholars receive mentorship, training, and guidance from the IMPACT Collaboratory’s Health Care Systems and Training Cores. Together, these resources equip Scholars to co-design an intervention and implementation strategy that addresses HCS priorities and positions them for future ePCT research in dementia care.
Recipients of the 2026 Health Care System Scholars Program Awards
- A. Lynn Snow, PhD, The University of Alabama
A Systems Learning Partnership for Dementia Care Co-Design - Amanda Szabo-Reed, PhD, MS-CR, The University of Kansas Medical Center
Embedding Food is Medicine and Exercise is Medicine into Dementia Care: A Primary Care Co-Design and Feasibility Study