The IMPACT Collaboratory is happy to announce a Request for Applications for Cycle 3 of the Health Care Systems Scholars Program.

The Health Care Systems (HCS) Scholars program offers researchers an opportunity to partner with healthcare systems to develop embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) focused on improving the care provided to people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners (CPs). The program funds researchers to partner with HCS (or organization) for 12 months to:

• Develop relationships between the researcher and HCS staff at all levels, from direct care to leaders.
• Learn about the HCS: about staff-identified needs for PLWD and CPs; about systems, workflow, and data; and about how HCS implement programs.
• Engage HCS staff in exploring ways to improve and/or evaluate dementia care and in learning more about what it means to conduct ePCTs in their setting(s).
• Co-develop a research proposal for an IMPACT Pilot or Demonstration project (or other similar NIA funding mechanism) to improve the care of PLWD and CP.

The IMPACT Collaboratory will fund up to 2 awards for a maximum of $120,000 each in direct costs in this cycle. This opportunity is available to investigators at all levels. Applicants from under-represented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants are expected to apply with a HCS partner and should hold a faculty or research scientist position at an academic institution or work within a HCS.

Priority will be given to applications including HCSs that:

• Provide care to underrepresented populations (e.g., minorities, rural communities), and/or
• Are new to the IMPACT Collaboratory and have not already partnered with our network. Applicants should email Rachel.J.Hays@kp.org if unsure whether a HCS is new to the IMPACT Collaboratory.

An informational webinar on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 1pm ET will provide potential applicants with a program overview and application details. Potential applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions. The webinar will be recorded and posted online.

A set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding this program are available at https://impactcollaboratory.org/HCS-Scholars-faq/. The FAQ will be updated by Monday, November 21, 2022.

Informational Webinar

An optional informational webinar will be hosted to provide investigators with an overview of application details and an opportunity to ask questions. Pre-registration is required using the link below.

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 @ 1pm ET: Registration closed.

Letters of Intent (LOI) Due – Required
Interested applicants are required to submit an LOI. LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis through:

December 19, 2022 by 5pm ET

Full Applications Due – By invitation only

Applications selected for further consideration will be invited to submit a full proposal due:

 March 13, 2023 by 5pm ET

Read the full RFA here. Learn more about our previous Health Care Systems Scholar Awardees here.

If you have any questions about this funding opportunity, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions or email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu.

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) will hold their annual scientific meeting in Indianapolis November 2-6, in Indianapolis, IN. The theme of the conference is, “Embracing our Diversity. Enriching Our Discovery. Reimagining Aging.” Members of the IMPACT Collaboratory will be presenting their work throughout the conference. For more information about the meeting, including registration, click this link.

See details on IMPACT Collaboratory presentations below:

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

(Pre-Conference Workshop)

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Securing Pilot Research Funding: Strategies for Success Through the NIA Supported Centers Program

Ab Brody, PhD, RN, FAAN, Core Leader, Pilot Studies Core

Thursday, November 3, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Caregiver Subgroup Analyses from an Embedded Dementia Care Effectiveness Trial

Rick Fortinsky, PhD, Executive Committee, Implementation Core

Friday, November 4, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Gerontologic Biostatistics: Merging with Data Science and Toward Personalized Medicine

Heather Allore, PhD, Core Leader, Design and Statistics Core

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Dementia Care in Nurse Practitioner-Led Care Management for Cognitively Vulnerable Older Adults

Rick Fortinsky, PhD, Executive Committee, Implementation Core

Saturday, November 5, 2022

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Recruitment for a Multisite Pragmatic Trial of Dementia Care Strategies: Barriers and Success During COVID-19

David Reuben, MD, Executive Committee, Health Care Systems Core

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Pilot Study to Pragmatically Embed Caregiver Dementia Education and Support in Health Care Systems

Presentation is about a pilot study funded by the IMPACT Collaboratory by Rick Fortinsky, PhD, Executive Committee, Implementation Core

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Excursions into Health Care Systems to Help Informal Caregivers Manage Dementia

Rick Fortinsky, PhD, FGSA, Executive Committee, Implementation Core
Hillary Lum, MD, PhD, Health Care Systems Scholar
Quincy Samus, PhD, MS, Health Care Systems Scholar
Christopher Callahan, MD, Core Leader, Training Core

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Presidential Symposium: Building and Leveraging Community Partnerships that Embrace Diversity, Enrich Discovery, and Reimagine Aging

Kalisha Bonds Johnson, PhD, RN, IMPACT Faculty Scholar

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Positive Affect in Dementia Care Dyads

Symposium led by Joan Monin, PhD, MS, Executive Committee, Design & Statistics Core

The IMPACT Collaboratory is happy to announce to announce the awardee of the IMPACT Pilot Grant Program Cycle 4A. The recipient was selected from an impressive group of competitive applications.

IMPACT Collaboratory Pilot Grant Award Recipient (RFA 2022)

Katherine Abbott, PhD, MGS, Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University (Oxford, OH)
Testing the Feasibility of the Individualized Positive Psychosocial Intervention

To learn more about Dr. Abbott’s pilot study and our previous pilot grant awardees, visit the Pilot Grant Awardees page. Learn more about all of the IMPACT Collaboratory funding and training opportunities at this page. 

About the Pilot Grant Program

The Pilot Grant Program funds several one-year pilots for ePCTs that test non-pharmacological interventions embedded in health care system(s) to improve care for people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners. Pilot studies are conducted to generate the preliminary data necessary to design and conduct future full-scale Stage IV effectiveness ePCT (based on the NIH Stage Model) that will be funded through other grant mechanisms (National Institutes of Health or other sources).

The Health Care Systems Research Network is accepting abstract and panel submissions for their upcoming Annual Conference until October 7, 2022. The conference will be held in Denver, CO, on February 21-23, 2023.

The theme of the annual conference will be Leveraging the Power of the Network in Rapidly Changing Times. For full details and information about the conference overall, please visit this website.