Health Care Systems Scholars Program
Program Overview
The Health Care Systems Scholars Program is a 1-year mentored experience designed to support immersion of mid-career 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. Each scholar will complete a mentored project to co-design an intervention and its implementation strategy to lay the groundwork for a future embedded pragmatic trial in dementia care. 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 advances.
Program Objectives
The Health Care Systems Scholars Program supports a researcher in partnering with a health care system or organization that provides care for people living with dementia or their care partners to:
- Build meaningful relationships with HCS staff at all levels, from frontline clinicians and direct care providers to system leaders.
- 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.
- 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).
- Co-develop a research proposal for an ePCT aimed at improving care for people living with dementia and care partners.