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 Request for Applications  for the 2026 Health Care Systems Scholars Program.

The IMPACT Collaboratory will fund up to two Health Care Systems Scholar Awards. Each award will provide $120,000 in total direct costs for a one-year mentored experience designed to support immersion of investigators (MD, PhD, or equivalent) within a health care system to foster durable partnerships, advance system-informed research priorities, and lay the groundwork for future embedded pragmatic clinical trials in dementia care.

Through funded, protected time embedded within a health care system, scholars build collaborative partnerships, gain a strong understanding of system priorities, clinical workflows and data infrastructures, and co-design interventions and implementation strategies that align with real-world needs, enhancing readiness for future pilot or full-scale ePCTs.

Each scholar will complete a mentored project in collaboration with the HCS that focuses on identifying system priorities in dementia care and co-designing an intervention and implementation strategy to address those needs, preparing the partnership for an ePCT. Scholars will also participate in monthly meetings of the Health Care Systems Core, peer-learning sessions, and research-in-progress seminars. In addition, they will have opportunities to engage in the activities of the IMPACT Collaboratory, including Grand Rounds, training opportunities, and annual meetings that foster interdisciplinary exchange, professional development, and methodological advancement.

The Health Care Systems (HCS) Scholars Program supports researchers in partnering with a health care system or organization that provides care for people living with dementia or their care partners to:

1. Build meaningful relationships with HCS staff at all levels, from frontline clinicians and direct care providers to system leaders.
2. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the health care system, including staff-identified needs of people living with dementia and care partners, organizational priorities, clinical workflows, data infrastructure, and processes for implementing new programs.
3. Engage HCS staff in identifying opportunities to improve and/or evaluate dementia care and enhance understanding of what it means to conduct embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) within their setting(s).
4. Co-develop a research proposal for an ePCT aimed at improving care for people living with dementia and care partners.

Eligible individuals include MD, PhD, or equivalent investigators – typically mid-career or approaching mid-career – with an established or developing focus on conducting ePCTs for PLWD and their care partners.  Candidates are required to apply with an identified health care system and be affiliated with an organization based in the United States (US) and be US citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents at the time of application. No research may be conducted outside of the US.

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.

Thursday, February 26, 2026 @ 12:00 PM ET

Letters of Intent (LOI) – Required

Interested applicants are required to submit an LOI on or before April 2, 2026 @ 8:00 PM ET.

Full Proposals (By invitation only)

Applications selected for further consideration will be invited to submit a full proposal due May 21, 2026 @ 8:00 PM 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 email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu.

Materials from the NIH Pragmatic Trials’ “Dissemination and Implementation in Embedded Pragmatic Trials: Science‑Powered Strategies to Sustain and Spread Effective Interventions” workshop at the 18th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health are now available online.

The session featured two IMPACT members: multiple principal investigator Vince Mor, PhD, who presented on post‑trial sustainment or deimplementation of study interventions, and Stephanie Morain, PhD, MPH, co‑chair of the Ethics & Regulatory Core, who addressed ethical and regulatory considerations and post‑trial obligations.

Access Dr. Mor’s presentation here. Access Dr. Morain’s presentation here. For the full conference materials, click here.

IMPACT Multiple Principal Investigator Vince Mor, PhD,  discussed the history of geriatric assessment and its transformation into a technology for patients, populations, and research in his presentation “From Geriatric Assessment to Electronic Medical Records: Transforming Long Term Care Research” on December 18, 2025 for the Geriatric and Palliative Medicine Grand Rounds series hosted by the University of California-San Francisco Division of Geriatrics.  Watch the presentation to learn more about:

• The historical development of comprehensive geriatric assessment and its role in defining the scope of geriatric medicine.
• How the codification of geriatric assessment principles in the Nursing Home Minimum Data Set (MDS) advanced understanding of frail and high-risk older adult populations.
• How advances in computational and analytic methods enable the integration of diagnostic, functional, treatment, laboratory, and vital signs data to study physiological processes in older adults.
• How integrated, data-driven insights can inform the design and successful implementation of more effective interventions in nursing homes and other long-term care settings.

The presentation is available online here.

In collaboration with the NEXT STEPs Network and the Long-Term Care (LTC) Data Cooperative, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory (U54AG063546) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Real World Data Scholars Program.

The one-year mentored training program is designed to build practical skills and professional networks for postdoctoral fellows, advanced graduate students, and early-career investigators interested in using real-world data (RWD) to improve care of people living in nursing homes and assisted living communities, including people living with dementia.

Up to four awards, each providing up to $60,000, will be granted to postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and early-career investigators to gain mentored training and experience using RWD to improve long-term care.

Scholars will be matched with a program mentor to support their training, project development, and engagement in the program. They will also complete a research project using data from the LTC Data Cooperative to develop or validate measures applicable to clinical trials within nursing homes and assisted living communities. Scholars are expected to independently complete all analytic and scholarly work.

Additionally, scholars will have opportunities to engage in the activities of the IMPACT Collaboratory and NEXT STEPs Network, including Grand Rounds, training opportunities, and annual meetings that foster interdisciplinary exchange, professional development, and methodological advances. Information on prior Scholars and their projects is available here.

Read the full RFA here.

For more information, join the informational webinar on December 8 (see details below) and visit our Real World Data Scholars Program webpage.  Learn more about previous awardees here.

Informational Webinar

An informational webinar will provide an overview of the program and address applicant questions. Registration is required.
December 8, 2025 @ 1:00 PM ET

Applications

Due: January 15, 2026 @ 11:59 PM ET

If you have any questions regarding these funding opportunities, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions or email IMPACTcollaboratory@hsl.harvard.edu.

Please help to publicize the IMPACT funding and training opportunities and encourage your investigators and colleagues to apply.