The Center for Aging and Serious Illness (CASI) at Massachusetts General Hospital aims to improve the well-being of older adults and enhance the lived experience of those with advanced illnesses. By creating a pipeline of strong investigators, conducting applied clinical studies, and supporting a robust research community, CASI aims to engage aging populations in research, illuminate how to provide effective care for serious illnesses, and augment well-being for older adults and their care partners.
Author: Erin Luers
Clin-Star and Clin-Star Database
The Clin-STAR (Clinician–Scientists Transdisciplinary Aging Research Coordinating Center) Initiative aims to connect and support the development of clinician-scientists across a variety of disciplines in order to expand aging research that focuses on improving the health, independence, and well-being of older adults. To facilitate these goals, Clin-STAR provides funding, mentorship, and resources for clinician-scientists at all careers levels across a variety of disciplines. They also host the Clin-STAR database, a discovery tool that enables research collaboration and networking among members.
IMPACT Collaboratory announces two funding opportunities
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory is happy to announce a Request for Applications for two separate funding opportunities: Pilot Grant Program and Demonstration Projects Program. These opportunities support research and training to increase the nation’s capacity to conduct pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) of non-pharmacological interventions within healthcare systems to improve care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias(AD/ADRD) and their care partners.
Two NIA IMPACT Funding Opportunities
| Pilot Grants RFA | Demonstration Projects RFA |
|---|---|
| Informational Webinar August 30, 2022 @ 3pm ET. Registration closed. |
Informational Webinar August 8, 2022 To be posted online. |
| Letters of Intent Due September 15, 2022 @ 5pm ET |
Letters of Intent (by Email) September 16, 2022 @ 5pm ET |
| Full Proposals Due January 20, 2023 @ 5pm ET |
Full Proposals Due December 21, 2022 @ 5pm ET |
Pilot Grants Program
IMPACT will fund up to five 1-year awards for pilot pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) that test non-pharmacological interventions embedded in health care system(s) for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) and their care partners. The goal of these pilot studies is to generate the preliminary data necessary to design and conduct a future full-scale Stage IV effectiveness ePCT (based on the NIH Stage Model) funded through other grant mechanisms.
This grant cycle will prioritize applications for non-pharmacological interventions that aim to:
- Reduce inequities in health care
- Reduce potentially inappropriate medications through de-prescribing
- Improve care in the emergency department
Learn more about previous Pilot Grant Awardees here. If you have questions about the Pilot Grant Program please visit the Frequently Asked Questions webpage or email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu.
Demonstration Projects Program
IMPACT will fund up to two 18-month Demonstration Projects designed as full-scale, Stage IV effectiveness ePCTs (based on the NIH Stage Model) that test, measure and evaluate the effect of a care delivery intervention program in health care systems for people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners. The goal of these Demonstration Projects is to generate evidence on effective care delivery practices that can be expanded and/or implemented in other systems.
Under this mechanism, the interventions must be linked to the needs of the health care system. Suitable intervention typically encompass relatively simple system changes or direct patient outreach, or successfully piloted programs ready for testing at scale. Demonstration Projects allow health care systems and investigators to gain real-world experience integrating pragmatic non-pharmacological interventions into usual clinical workflow and health care delivery practices in a controlled manner that provides clear information on the impact of the intervention program.
Learn more about previous Demonstration Project Awardees here. If you have questions about the Demonstration Project Program, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions webpage or email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu.
Learn more about the IMPACT Collaboratory on our website. Keep up-to-date on these and future opportunities by joining our mailing list and following us on social media at IMPACT Twitter IMPACT LinkedIn.
Please help to publicize the IMPACT funding and training opportunities and encourage investigators and colleagues to apply.
GeriPal Podcast: COVID Vaccine Hesitancy in Frontline Nursing Home Staff
In this podcast, Geripal discusses vaccine hesitancy with Sarah Berry, MD, MPH, Kimberly Johnson, MS, and David Gifford, MD, MPH, and the lessons learned from the “town hall” intervention they did in their recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Discussion was around the devastating impact of COVID on nursing homes and the effects and update rates of vaccine among patients and staff in nursing home.
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Best Practice Caregiving is a free online database of proven dementia programs for family caregivers. It offers a searchable, interactive, national database of vetted, effective programs that offer much-needed information and support. The database is an invaluable tool for healthcare and community-based organizations, as well as funders and policy makers to discover and share high quality programs for caregivers.
LiveWell Dementia Specialists
LiveWell Dementia Specialists (formerly the Alzheimer’s Resource Center) is a nonprofit of care providers, researchers, and pioneers in dementia care. The organization is dedicated to providing support and education to people living with dementia, their caregivers, and care and research professionals through various resources, courses, training, and events.
Stakeholder Engagement Navigator | DICEmethods.org
A stakeholder engagement navigator guide for health researchers focusing on Dissemination, Implementation, Communication, and Engagement (DICE)