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IMPACT Collaboratory Announces the 2023 Faculty Scholars

Posted on by Sonya Sutton

The IMPACT Collaboratory is pleased to announce the 2023 IMPACT Faculty Scholars.

This program aims to enhance the career development of investigators in the design and conduct of embedded pragmatic clinical trials for people living with dementia and their care partners by integrating them into the activities of our Cores and Teams. Faculty Scholars attend monthly Core meetings, are mentored by an IMPACT executive committee member, engage in scholarly projects to enrich career development, and attend Collaboratory-wide events including Training Workshops and the Annual Business Meeting and Scientific Conference. Throughout the year, Faculty Scholars partichttps://impactcollaboratory.org/about-us/cores-and-teams/ipate in monthly Grand Rounds and quarterly Research-in-Progress seminars in addition to other opportunities for career development, training, and networking. Faculty Scholars are nominated by IMPACT members.

The 2023 IMPACT Faculty Scholars:

  • Alyssa Aguirre, MSW, LCSW, The University of Texas at Austin
  • Roman Ayele, PhD, MPH, Veterans Affairs (VA) Denver-Seattle Center of Innovation
  • Zachary Baker, PhD, Arizona State University Edson School of Nursing and Health Innovation
  • Kuan-Hua Chen, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
  • Natalie Douglas, PhD, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professionals, Central Michigan University
  • Natalie Ernecoff, PhD, MPH, RAND Corporation
  • Beth Fields, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Lisa Juckett, PhD, OTR/L, CHT, The Ohio State University School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
  • Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
  • Annalisa Na, PhD, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
  • Darina Petrovksy, PhD, RN, Rutgers School of Nursing; Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research
  • Kendra Ray, PhD, MPH, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
  • Guangyu Tong, PhD, Yale School of Public Health
  • Tiffany Washington, PhD, The University of Georgia School of Social Work
  • Emma Zang, PhD, Yale University

Learn more about our Faculty Scholars and which IMPACT Core or Team they are working with at this link.

Mission Moment: Marie M. Desir, Senior Patient Care Associate (PCA) at Hebrew SeniorLife

Posted on by dcridigital

Marie M. Desir, Senior Patient Care Associate (PCA) at Hebrew SeniorLife provided this year’s mission moment for the IMPACT Collaboratory Annual Steering Committee & Business Planning Meeting, held on April 11, 2023.

Ms. Desir shared her unique experience as a frontline member of the healthcare team working with people living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Desir provided a heartfelt description of the challenges that providers, patients, and families faced throughout the pandemic. She provided examples of how her team maintained their humor and humanity to overcome obstacles to good caregiving. Her account received a standing ovation for her inspiring mission moment.

NIH features IMPACT members’ study on music’s effects on Alzheimer’s symptoms

Posted on by Jeannine Sato

The research of IMPACT Multiple Principal Investigator  Vince Mor, PhD and member Ellen McCreedy, PhD, MPH is featured in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) blog post on the effects of music and Alzheimer’s disease. The Blog titled, “Could ‘musical medicine’ influence healthy aging?” highlights the Music and MEmory: A Pragmatic TRIal for Nursing Home Residents with ALzheimer’s Disease (METRIcAL) project.

Led by Mor and McCreedy, the METRIcAL study explored whether customized playlists of preferred music could reduce common dementia symptoms. Disruptive or disturbing symptoms like pacing, calling out verbally, or sundowning, a phenomenon where people with Alzheimer’s disease experience restlessness, agitation, irritability, or confusion in the late afternoon and early evening, were measured during the study in hopes to alleviate symptoms, and lessen reliance on antipsychotic drugs.

Read the NIH blog post.

Mor to present on Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory at NIH virtual workshop

Posted on by Jeannine Sato

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory will host a virtual workshop, “Getting the Right Evidence to Decision-Makers Faster: Insights from the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory”. The virtual event will be held June 20-21 to explore the critical cycle of evidence generation to decision-making by health system leaders looking to implement the findings of pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs).

IMPACT multiple principal investigator Vincent Mor, PhD will participate in Panel 1 on the first day entitled “How have health systems made decisions based on evidence collected in PCTs?” Mor will be commenting on IMPACT as well as on the PROVEN pragmatic trial conducted with IMPACT Principal Investigator Susan Mitchell, MD PhD.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Long-Term Care Data Cooperative Releases Funding Opportunity for the New Real World Data Scholars Program

Posted on by Sonya Sutton

The Long-Term Care (LTC) Data Cooperative announces a request for applications for the newly established 2023 Real World Data Scholars Program. This program supports the development of advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career faculty who are interested in developing their expertise and experience in working with electronic health record (EHR) data.

This program offers a unique opportunity to be among the first users of the LTC Data Cooperative’s EHR data and to characterize the data for future users through validation and analyses. It is available for investigators at all levels who are interested in developing their expertise and experience working with EHR data.

The Real World Data Scholars Program will fund up to three investigators for a 12-month training grant. Selected scholars will work with the designers of the LTC Data Cooperative to test and establish the validity or reliability of key measures within this new data resource. Accepted scholars will be partnered with a mentor who is well-versed in analyzing EHR data and can provide support and direction for scholars.

Awards are for 12 months and up to $50,000 in direct costs; awardees are expected to devote 25-50% effort toward the goals of the program. Indirect costs are calculated at 8%. Applicants should be experienced using large-scale administrative and/or clinical data (e.g., EHR data, Medicare claims, Minimum Data Set, registry data, etc.). Individuals with a background in pharmacoepidemiology, natural language processing, or clinical investigations are also encouraged to apply. Applicants from under-represented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants must be associated with an academic institution or academic medical center and be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. All research must be performed within the United States.

The RFA, including instructions to apply, can be found here. The application period opens Friday, June 16 at 9 AM ET and applications are due Friday, August 4, 2023 by 5 PM ET. An informational webinar will be hosted on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET to provide an overview of the program and application. Investigators will have the opportunity to ask questions. Pre-registration is required.
Watch the webinar recording.

Email RWDScholars@brown.edu with questions.

 

About the LTC Data Cooperative

The LTC Data Cooperative is funded as a supplement to the IMPACT Collaboratory by the National Institute on Aging (U54AG063546-S6) and aims to improve the quality of care within nursing homes by compiling the most comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) data for nursing home residents nationwide.

IMPACT Collaboratory funds investigator training award to promote diversity

Posted on by Erin Luers

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory is pleased to announce the recipient of the Investigator Training Award to Promote Diversity.

2023 IMPACT Investigator Training Award to Promote Diversity

Latarsha Chisholm, PhD, MSW, University of Central Florida
GUIDE+ACP Video Intervention Implementation in Nursing Homes

Additional details on this recipient and her funded project can be found on the IMPACT website here.

About the IMPACT Investigator Training Award to Promote Diversity

The overall goal of this mentored supplemental award is to increase the number of investigators from diverse backgrounds who are prepared to pursue careers conducting embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) for people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners. The IMPACT Collaboratory prioritizes research that address dementia care for people of all backgrounds and to promote health equity.

The Investigator Training Award to Promote Diversity will provide Dr. Chisholm with the necessary experience, training, and mentorship to develop expertise in ePCT methodology and implementation science. Her research will focus on the development of an implementation guide to enhance implementing an evidence-based advance care planning video intervention in nursing homes in preparation for a future trial.

About IMPACT Collaboratory

The IMPACT Collaboratory was established in 2019 to meet the urgent public health need to deliver high quality, evidence-based care to people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners within the healthcare systems (HCS) that serve them.  The IMPACT Collaboratory accomplishes this mission by building the nation’s capacity to conduct ePCTs among PLWD and their care partners through building investigator capacity, funding and supporting the design and conduct of ePCTs, and ensuring the research includes culturally-tailored interventions and people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.

The IMPACT Collaboratory hosts monthly Grand Rounds and podcasts open to everyone to provide insight into conducting ePCTs for PLWD and their care partners. Learn more on our website, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Please join our mailing list to receive news and invitations to IMPACT events, Grand Rounds, and pragmatic trials training modules.

IMPACT Collaboratory Requests Applications for Career Development Awards

Posted on by Jeannine Sato

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory is pleased to announce a new request for applications for the 2023 Career Development Award (CDA). These CDAs support the development of MD, PhD, or equivalent researchers who seek careers conducting embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) for people living with AD/ADRD and their care partners.

This mechanism will fund research projects that are preparatory to conducting a future ePCT such as secondary data analysis, intervention development or the development of pragmatic outcomes. The proposed CDA project cannot include a clinical trial (including pilot trials; see NIH definition of a clinical trial).

The IMPACT Collaboratory will fund up to two 1-year CDAs, prioritizing applications that address dementia care for people of all backgrounds and promote health equity. Each award will provide $100,000 annually in direct costs with an indirect cost rate capped at 8%. Awardees are required to devote a minimum of 75% effort toward the goals of the award.

Applicants are typically within 7 years of their post-doctoral training program at the time of application. Exceptions will be made in this round of funding for investigators with more than 7 years who can demonstrate evidence of changing their career path to pursue research on ePCTs among PLWD. Such applicants must request prior approval.

Applications are due Friday, September 15, 2023 by 5pm ET. An informational webinar will be hosted on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 2:00 pm ET to provide investigators with an overview of application details. Investigators will have the opportunity to ask questions. Registration closed.

A set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding this award is available online at https://impactcollaboratory.org/CDA-grant-faq/.

Click here to learn about previous awardees.

Email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu with questions.