Career Development in Pragmatic Clinical Trials to Improve Care for People Living with Dementia
September 21, 2023
A recent article by a team of IMPACT members and funded researchers published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society describes the urgent need for improved dementia care and the challenges faced by early-career researchers leading clinical trials for dementia treatments in. IMPACT authors Jennifer Gabbard, MD, Tina R. Sadarangani PhD, RN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, Rupak Datta MD, PhD, Chanee D. Fabius PhD, MA, Cameron J. Gettel MD, MHS, Natalie F. Douglas PhD, CCC‐SLP, Lisa A. Juckett PhD, OTR/L, Andrew M. Kiselica PhD, ABBP-CN, Komal Patel Murali PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, Ellen P. McCarthy PhD, MPH, Alexia M. Torke MD, MS, and Christopher M. Callahan MD, MACP highlight the lack of infrastructure to support researchers conducting rigorous embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) in the field of dementia care. The article covers the unique career development challenges faced by these early-career researchers, including establishing laboratories, achieving academic promotions, finding mentors, and balancing work-life commitments.
The authors describe the Career Development Award Program provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) IMPACT Collaboratory as an important means for improving the pipeline of early-career researchers qualified to lead ePCTs for people living with dementia and their care partners. These awards offer financial support and facilitated mentorship for early career investigators for up to two years. In the article, the authors, including several CDA awardees, provide a roadmap for early career professionals, mentors, and institutions who seek to build capacity in pragmatic trials to advance dementia care.
Abstract
The growing number of people living with dementia (PLWD) requires a coordinated clinical response to deliver pragmatic, evidence-based interventions in frontline care settings. However, infrastructure to support such a response is lacking. Moreover, there are too few researchers conducting rigorous embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) to make the vision of high quality, widely accessible dementia care a reality. National Institute on Aging (NIA) Imbedded Pragmatic Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias Clinical Trials (IMPACT) Collaboratory seeks to improve the pipeline of early career researchers qualified to lead ePCTs by funding career development awards. Even with support from the Collaboratory, awardees face practical and methodological challenges to success, recently exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We first describe the training opportunities and support network for the IMPACT CDA recipients. This report then describes the unique career development challenges faced by early-career researchers involved in ePCTs for dementia care. Topics addressed include challenges in establishing a laboratory, academic promotion, mentoring and professional development, and work-life balance. Concrete suggestions to address these challenges are offered for early-career investigators, their mentors, and their supporting institutions. While some of these challenges are faced by researchers in other fields, this report seeks to provide a roadmap for expanding the work of the IMPACT Collaboratory and initiating future efforts to recruit, train, and retain talented early-career researchers involved in ePCTs for dementia care.