Directory

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Epps, Fayron – Profile
Name
Epps, Fayron – Profile
Full Name
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN
Credentials
PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN
Role

Executive Committee
High Risk Populations Core (HRPC)

Primary title
Professor, Karen & Ronald Herrmann Distinguished Chair in Caregiving Research
Primary Institution
University of Texas at San Antonio School of Nursing
Complete Titles

Professor, Karen & Ronald Herrmann Distinguished Chair in Caregiving Research

Bio
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, is a nurse and researcher specializing in gerontology, dementia care, and health disparities. Her particular focus is on improving care for African Americans living with dementia. She is a professor and the Karen and Ronald Hermann Distinguished Chair in Caregiver Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio School of Nursing. Her work is centered around promoting awareness, education, and support for families affected by dementia, particularly within African American communities. Dr. Epps is recognized for her community-engaged research and her efforts to partner with faith communities to improve dementia care and resources. Her research focuses on exploring how faith-based organizations can serve as a support system for families and caregivers, and on developing culturally relevant resources to address health disparities in dementia care.
Core/Team Associations
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Link to Epstein-Lubow, Gary profile page.
Name
Epstein-Lubow, Gary – Profile
Full Name
Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD
Credentials
MD
Role

Team Leader, Engaging Partners Team

Core/Team Associations
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Ernecoff, Natalie – Profile
Name
Ernecoff, Natalie – Profile
Full Name
Natalie Ernecoff, PhD, MPH
Credentials
PhD, MPH
Role

Executive Committee
Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core

Primary title
Associate policy researcher
Primary Institution
RAND Corporation
Complete Titles

Associate policy researcher, RAND Corporation

Bio
Natalie Ernecoff, PhD, MPH, is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating systems-level palliative care, hospice, and home care interventions. Her work includes healthcare system informatics, electronic health record (EHR)-based interventions, systematic identification of serious illness populations, and collaborative models of palliative care delivery. She is experienced in qualitative and mixed methods research, implementation science, population health management, program evaluation, and clinical research. Dr. Ernecoff leads work exploring measures of goal-concordant care based upon both coded and free text data in nursing home EHRs.
Core/Team Associations
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Link to Fazio, Sam profile page.
Name
Fazio, Sam – Profile
Full Name
Sam Fazio, PhD
Credentials
PhD
Role

Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Engaging Partners Team

Primary title
Senior Director of Quality Care and Psychosocial Research
Primary Institution
Alzheimer’s Association
Complete Titles

Senior Director of Quality Care and Psychosocial Research, Alzheimer's Association

Core/Team Associations
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Link to Fortinsky, Rick profile page.
Name
Fortinsky, Rick – Profile
Full Name
Rick Fortinsky, PhD
Credentials
PhD
Role

Executive Committee, Implementation Core
Pilot Grant Awardee, Cycle 2A

Core/Team Associations
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Freitas, Caroline
Name
Freitas, Caroline
Full Name
Caroline Freitas, EdM
Credentials
EdM
Primary title
Project Director, Communications & Knowledge Dissemination Team
Primary Institution
Hebrew SeniorLife's Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Complete Titles

Project Director, Communications & Knowledge Dissemination Team
Project Director, Hebrew SeniorLife's Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research

Bio
Caroline Freitas, EdM, is a project director for the Communications and Knowledge Dissemination Team in the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory. Ms. Freitas got her bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in studio art from Boston College and received her master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ms. Freitas has years of experience in creating and scaling courses, programs, and resources that support the clinical research community.
Core/Team Associations
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Freiwald, Barbara – Profile
Name
Freiwald, Barbara – Profile
Full Name
Barbara Freiwald
Role

Member, IRB & Regulation Team (AC)

Primary title
Human Research Specialist
Primary Institution
Brown University School of Public Health
Complete Titles

Human Research Specialist, Brown University School of Public Health

Bio
Barbara Freiwald, BS, is a human research specialist in the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research within the Brown University School of Public Health. She supports investigators throughout the life of their study as it relates to human subjects research and central IRB requirements. Barbara received her bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Prior to her role on the IMPACT Collaboratory, Barbara’s professional experience and interests included IRB, quality assurance and CMS DUA administration. Mrs. Freiwald started working at Brown University in 2019 and on the IMPACT Collaboratory in 2022.
Core/Team Associations
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Gabbard, Jennifer – Profile
Name
Gabbard, Jennifer – Profile
Full Name
Jennifer Gabbard, MD
Credentials
MD
Role

Research Grants Core
Career Development Awardee, Cycle 1
Pilot Grant Awardee, Cycle 2A
2021 Faculty Scholar, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core

Primary title
Assistant Professor
Primary Institution
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Complete Titles

Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine,
Program Director, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine,
Wake Forest School of Medicine

Bio
Jennifer Gabbard, MD, is an associate professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and directs the Serious Illness and Palliative Medicine Research Program. A board-certified geriatrician and palliative care physician, she has additional training in implementation science and health services research. Her work centers on improving care for seriously ill older adults—especially those with dementia, frailty, and unmet social needs—by integrating palliative care, shared decision-making, and social determinants into primary care. Dr. Gabbard leads NIH and foundation-funded studies, including pragmatic trials on advance care planning, telehealth, and technology-enabled interventions for people with cognitive impairment. Her research, published in JAMA and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, informs scalable models of dementia care. She is funded by an NIH–NIA K23 Career Development Award and co-site PI of the PCORI-funded SPIRE trial. An active member of the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory, she contributes to national initiatives on dementia care and Age-Friendly Health Systems and mentors early-career investigators in geriatrics and palliative care.
Core/Team Associations
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Link to Galvin, James profile page.
Name
Galvin, James – Profile
Full Name
James Galvin, MD, MPH
Credentials
MD, MPH
Role

Former Member, Pilot Studies Core

Core/Team Associations
Link to Gaugler, Joseph profile page.
Name
Gaugler, Joseph – Profile
Full Name
Joseph Gaugler, PhD
Credentials
PhD
Role

Core Leader, Implementation Core
Steering Committee member

Primary title
Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging & Professor
Primary Institution
University of Minnesota
Complete Titles

Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, Professor, University of Minnesota

Bio
Joseph Gaugler, PhD, is the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care & Aging in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He is the director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation in the School of Public Health, the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving, the EMBRACE AD/ADRD Roybal Center (with Dr. Gilmore-Bykvoskyi), and the State Alzheimer's Research Support Center (with Drs. Shih and Samus). Dr. Gaugler’s research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions. An applied gerontologist, Dr. Gaugler’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for people living with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older people living with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, Dr. Gaugler also has interests in mixed methods and implementation science.
Core/Team Associations
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