IMPACT members Kathleen Unroe, MD, MHA, MS, Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD and Jerry Gurwitz, MD, contribute commentary in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society citing IMPACT and the Long Term Data Cooperative as National Institute on Aging (NIA) initiatives that provide foundational work addressing the identification and capture of important clinical outcomes, laying the groundwork for a nursing home clinical trials network. The commentary is based on the article Evaluation of medical therapies in the nursing home population: Gaps, challenges, and next steps.
Health Equity
Aranda inducted as fellow at American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
IMPACT’s Health Equity Team co-leader Maria Aranda, PhD, MSW, MMPA, LCSW was inducted as a 2024 fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). Aranda is one of two distinguished faculty members inducted from the University of Southern California (USC) Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. The AASWSW recognizes the accomplishments of scholars, practitioners and policy leaders dedicated to achieving excellence in high-impact work to advance social good. Aranda received the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on January 13.
New IMPACT Health Equity Training Certificate Program – Best Practices for Integrating Health Equity into ePCTs for Dementia Care
IMPACT Collaboratory introduced its latest online training program designed to empower researchers at all levels in integrating health equity considerations into embedded Pragmatic Clinical Trials (ePCTs) for people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners.
Program Overview:
This comprehensive training program, aligned with the “Best Practices for Integrating Health Equity into ePCTs for Dementia Care” document, equips researchers with the knowledge and skills to incorporate health equity considerations into design and research activities at every level of ePCTs for people living with dementia. The program covers six essential topic areas:
· Getting Started
· Community Partner Engagement
· Design and Analysis
· Intervention Design and Implementation
· Healthcare System and Participant Selection
· Selecting Outcomes
Key Features:
· Free, accessible online training
· Six courses, each including 2-5 brief and engaging videos
· Self-paced learning, typically completed in 3 hours or less
· Certificate upon successful completion of the program
Access the Training:
Visit the IMPACT Collaboratory HE certificate web page for details and links to set up your free learning account. This account not only provides access to the health equity training program but also to other certificate programs and training materials.
New documentary featuring María Aranda, PhD, MSW, explores the impact of Alzheimer’s Disease on Hispanic and Latino population
IMPACT Health Equity Team associate leader María Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW, is featured in, “Our America: Unforgettable,” a new documentary special produced by ABC Owned Television Stations in partnership with ABC News. The program provides insight into what life is like for families facing Alzheimer’s disease and presents the alarming data of the disease through a Hispanic and Latino lens.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, people from Hispanic and Latino populations are 1.5x more likely than non-Hispanic White people to develop Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In this hour-long special, two families share their experiences on caregiving, and experts in the field, including Dr. Aranda, describe the disparities impacting Hispanic and Latino populations in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. They explore questions about why Alzheimer’s disease manifests differently and more frequently in these communities and describe greater inclusion in research and clinical trials as an essential way of answering these questions and improving care.
Learn more about the program and access the full video here or find it streaming on ABC services. Watch the trailer on YouTube. The episode includes close captioning in both Spanish and English.
IMPACT members to present at two-day workshop exploring serious illness care
IMPACT members, including multiple principal investigator Vince Mor, PhD, Antonia Bennett, PhD, Kathleen Unroe, MD, and Scott Halpern, MD, PhD are participating in a two-day public workshop organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, November 2-3, 2023 in Washington DC.
The workshop will explore existing evidence, knowledge gaps and opportunities to advance future research for serious illness care. The workshop is titled “Serious Illness Care Research: Exploring Current Knowledge, Emerging Evidence and Future Directions.”
Presentations and discussions will focus on:
- Inclusive research approaches to advance health equity in care
- Safe and effective therapies to address pain and other physical and psychological symptoms
- Quality measurement for serious illness
- The integration of behavioral/mental health care into serious illness care, delivery models that address the patient and family needs
- Opportunities for research coordination and collaboration
New report now available! Voices of the Lived Experience Panel: Health Equity in Dementia Care and Research
The 2022-2023 Lived Experience Panel Report Voices of the Lived Experience Panel: Health Equity in Dementia Care and Research, by IMPACT and LEP members including: María P. Aranda, Talha Ali, Willetha Barnette, Bart Brammer, Katie Brandt, Roberta Cruz, Monica Downer, Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, Darrell Foss, Lupita Gutierrez-Parker, Ladson Hinton, Freddye G. James, Gary Epstein-Lubow, Carolyn Malone, Karen O Moss, Katherine D. Peak, Judith S. Rocha, summarizes the overarching themes that emerged during four meetings of the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory’s Lived Experience Panel, the Health Equity Team, and the Engaging Partners Team. The goal of these discussions was to learn about Panel members’ lived experiences and insights related to health equity in dementia care and research practices.
Panel members shared their own experience living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment while others spoke as care partners or proxies. The report documents a conversational process among panelists. Two major concepts emerged. The first is that people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) and their families have different experiences from one another. The second is that there is a need for a broad and inclusive plan to understand and address weaknesses within the systems of care in the United States, which are often fragmented and lack accountability for health equity.
The 2022-2023 Lived Experience Panel Report, Voices of the Lived Experience Panel: Health Equity in Dementia Care and Research (English/Spanish)
October 3, 2023
Authors: María P. Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW, Talha Ali, Willetha Barnette, Bart Brammer, Katie Brandt, Roberta Cruz, Monica Downer, Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, Darrell Foss, Lupita Gutierrez-Parker, Ladson Hinton, MD, Freddye G. James, Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, Carolyn Malone, MPH, Karen O. Moss, Katherine D. Peak, MPH, Judith S. Rocha
Description: This report summarizes the overarching themes that emerged during four meetings of the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory’s Lived Experience Panel, the Health Equity Team, and the Engaging Partners Team. The goal of these discussions was to learn about Panel members’ lived experiences and insights related to health equity in dementia care and research practices.
Read the full report here. Read the Spanish translated version here.
Citation: Aranda MP, Ali T, Barnette W, Brammer B, Brandt K, Cruz R, Downer M, Fashaw-Walters S, Foss D, Gutierrez-Parker L, Hinton L, James FG, Epstein-Lubow G, Malone C, Michael C, Moss K, Peak KD, Rocha JS. 2022-2023 Lived Experience Panel Report: Voices of the Lived Experience Panel: Health Equity in Dementia Care and Research. NIA IMPACT Collaboratory; 2023. doi: 10.58234/23680579
Health Equity LEP Report - English Version
Click to view Spanish LEP Report | Health Equity
NPR interviews HET leader Maria Aranda on why Latinos need to be involved in clinical trials
IMPACT Health Equity Team leader Maria Aranda, PhD, MSW was featured in a segment on NPRs Morning Edition on September 18, 2023. In the segment, NPR’s A Martínez spoke with Dr. Aranda, of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, and Mario Tapia, founder of the Latino Center, about quality of care issues once a dementia diagnosis is made . They discussed the cultural considerations in caring for Latino patients with dementia including the importance of language, food and music and the need for culturally competent nursing home staff working with Latino patients living with dementia.