American Geriatrics Society

AGS/AGING LEARNING, EDUCATING, AND, RESEARCHING NATIONAL INITIATIVE IN GERIATRICS (?LEARNING?) COLLABORATIVE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT THE AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY (AGS) AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS RESEARCH NETWORK (HCSRN)-OLDER AMERICANS INDEPENDENCE CENTERS (OAICS) AGING (ADVANCING GERIATRICS INFRASTRUCTURE AND NETWORK GROWTH) INITIATIVE, FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING (NIA), ARE PARTNERING TO CREATE AN AGS/AGING LEARNING, EDUCATING, AND, RESEARCHING NATIONAL INITIATIVE IN GERIATRICS (“LEARNING”) COLLABORATIVE TO FILL EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING GAPS IN MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS (MCCS) RESEARCH. THE AGS IS THE LEADING ORGANIZATION OF AGERIATRICS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE UNITED STATES AND HAS EXTRAORDINARY DEPTH OF EXPERTISE IN DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE HCSRN-OAICS AGING INITIATIVE IS A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE, COLLABORATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY ENDEAVOR INVOLVING SCIENTISTS FROM 18 HCSRN RESEARCH CENTERS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INVESTIGATORS FROM 13 PREMIER, UNIVERSITY-BASED CENTERS ESTABLISHED BY THE NIA (THE OAICS OR “PEPPER CENTERS”). THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THE PROPOSED AGS/AGING LEARNING COLLABORATIVE IS TO DEVELOP A NATIONAL SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING CURRICULUM FOCUSED ON THE SCIENCE OF MCCS. THROUGH THE AGS/AGING LEARNING COLLABORATIVE, WE WILL DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND WIDELY DISSEMINATE AN INNOVATIVE, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY, CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL GERIATRICS-RELEVANT RESEARCH CURRICULUM TO REACH EMERGING CLINICIAN AND TRANSLATIONAL INVESTIGATORS (T2-T4). THE AGS HAS EXTENSIVE NETWORKS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO REACH INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE UNDER- REPRESENTED IN NIH RESEARCH FUNDING AND ENHANCE RECRUITMENT OF UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITIES INTO CAREERS IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH. THE CURRICULUM WILL ENCOMPASS: (1) RESEARCH ON THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF MCCS; (2) THE DEVELOPMENT AND INCORPORATION OF FUNCTION AND OTHER PATIENT-VALUED OUTCOMES INTO CLINICAL TRIALS; (3) THE RECRUITMENT OF DIVERSE POPULATIONS INTO CLINICAL RESEARCH; (4) RESEARCH APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF GERIATRIC HEALTH DISPARITIES; AND (5) PATIENT AND CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT IN RESEARCH DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION. OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO: (1) DEVELOP A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ONLINE CURRICULUM WITH A FOCUS ON TRAINING NEW AND EMERGING INVESTIGATORS TO CONDUCT CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH ON THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF MCCS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN; (2) OFFER TRAIN-THE-TRAINER SESSIONS, AT THE AGS ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING, TO INTRODUCE THE CURRICULUM TO CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENTISTS FOR USE IN TEACHING AT THEIR OWN INSTITUTIONS, AND MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES THAT BRING INVESTIGATORS TOGETHER; (3) ESTABLISH A VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENTISTS TO PROMOTE DISCUSSIONS OF INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES OF CONDUCTING RESEARCH FOCUSED ON THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF MCCS INCLUDING THOSE RELATING TO RECRUITMENT OF DIVERSE POPULATIONS; (4) DISSEMINATE THE CURRICULUM THROUGH NATIONAL RESEARCH NETWORKS, COLLABORATIVES, AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS; AND (5) ASSESS THE OVERALL IMPACT OF THE LEARNING COLLABORATIVE THROUGH A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF NETWORK REACH AND IMPACT, AND A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEARNER FEEDBACK ON THE CURRICULUM ITSELF.

OLDER DRIVER MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

AGS GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE CARE OF OLDER ADULTS WITH MULTIMORBIDITY: A MOBILE

GERIATRICS RESEARCH: FROM BENCH-TO-BEDSIDE - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT RESILIENCE, DEFINED AS THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO STRESSORS, DECLINES WITH AGE AND CO-MORBID CONDITIONS IN OLDER ORGANISMS. TO DATE, LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF RESILIENCE WITH AGING AND ITS MULTI-COMPONENT DIMENSIONS IN RESPONSE TO PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, AND SOCIAL STRESSORS, IN PART BECAUSE RESILIENCE ITSELF IS LIKELY A DYNAMIC MULTI-SYSTEMIC PROCESS THAT IS MOST EVIDENT UNDER CONDITIONS OF STRESS. THIS APPLICATION IS FOR A FIVE-YEAR COOPERATIVE CONFERENCE GRANT TO CONTINUE THE SUCCESSFUL “GERIATRICS RESEARCH: BENCH-TO-BEDSIDE” SERIES. THE SERIES HAS HAD AN OUTSTANDING IMPACT. PAST CONFERENCES REPRESENTED “PARADIGM-SHIFTING” MOMENTS AND “PIVOTAL” JUNCTURES IN AREAS SUCH AS FRAILTY, MULTIMORBIDITY, AND DELIRIUM. HERE WE PROPOSE TO BUILD BRIDGES AND BRING TOGETHER RESILIENCE SCIENTISTS AND EXPERTS FROM THE PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, AND SOCIAL DOMAINS TO DISCUSS, DEBATE, AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER THE DYNAMIC MULTI-COMPONENT PHENOMENA OF RESILIENCE. IN THE FIRST CONFERENCE, OVERVIEW OF THE RESILIENCE WORLD: STATE OF THE SCIENCE, WE WILL FOCUS ON SETTING THE STAGE AND DISCUSS WORKING DEFINITIONS OF RESILIENCE FROM PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FIELDS. A GOAL WILL BE TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF COMMONALITIES AND DIFFERENCES AND HOW WE CAN OPERATIONALIZE A SHARED CONCEPT SO THAT “RESILIENCE” CAN BE QUANTIFIED APPROPRIATELY IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS. IN THE SECOND CONFERENCE, STRESS TESTS AND BIOMARKERS OF RESILIENCE, WE AIM TO DISCUSS RESILIENCE STRESS TEST PARADIGMS AND MOLECULAR MARKERS THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH RESILIENT OUTCOMES. BUILDING ON THE FIRST CONFERENCE, THIS CONFERENCE WILL REFER TO OPERATIONALIZED DEFINITIONS OF RESILIENCE AND RESILIENT OUTCOMES, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT DEFINITIONS MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY ACROSS FIELDS AND CONTEXTS. LASTLY, THE THIRD CONFERENCE IS ENTITLED OPTIMIZING RESILIENCE. BY INTEGRATING THE FOUNDATION BUILT IN THE FIRST TWO CONFERENCES, WE WILL FOCUS ON INTERVENTIONS TO OPTIMIZE RESILIENCE IN OLDER ADULTS. THIS CONFERENCE SERIES, ONCE COMPLETED, WILL SERVE AS A FORUM AND A UNIFYING THREAD THAT WILL BRING TOGETHER NATIONAL RESEARCH LEADERS TO BUILD AN INTEGRATIVE MULTIDIMENSIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF RESILIENCE IN OLDER ORGANISMS.

PHYSICIAN SCIENTISTS IN AGING: DEVELOPING AND ACTIVATING SPECIALTY INVESTIGATORS

GERIATRICS RESEARCH: FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE

ENHANCE OLDER DRIVER SAFETY

ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS IN OLDER ADULTS - THERE IS INCREASING RECOGNITION THAT THE MOST COMMON “CHRONIC CONDITION” IN OLDER ADULTS IS MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS (MCCS). YET, DUE TO THE DOMINANCE OF A DISEASE-SPECIFIC APPROACH TO CLINICAL CARE AND RESEARCH, THERE IS A LACK OF EVIDENCE AND AN URGENT NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH TO GUIDE CLINICAL PRACTICE AND INFORM SHARED CLINICAL DECISION-MAKING IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MCCS. WE PROPOSE A NEW AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY (AGS) “ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS (MCCS) IN OLDER ADULTS” R13 CONFERENCE SERIES THAT LEVERAGES THE NIA-FUNDED HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS RESEARCH NETWORK (HCSRN)-OLDER AMERICANS INDEPENDENCE CENTERS (OAICS) AGING (ADVANCING GERIATRICS INFRASTRUCTURE AND NETWORK GROWTH) INITIATIVE (R33AG057806-06A1) EXPERTISE, AND FURTHERS THE LONG-RUNNING AND SUCCESSFUL AGS NIA U13/R13 “BENCH-TO-BEDSIDE” (B2B) CONFERENCE SERIES (OFFERED SINCE 2004 WITH THEMES INCLUDING FRAILTY, INFLAMMATION/NUTRITION, GERIATRIC SYNDROMES, COMMON CO-MORBID PAIRINGS, AND RESILIENCE). THE PROPOSED R13 IS A LOGICAL EXTENSION OF THE ONGOING AGS/AGING LEARNING COLLABORATIVE, THROUGH WHICH WE HAVE DEVELOPED AN INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF MCCS RESEARCHERS (R25AG071488). THE MISSION OF THIS CONFERENCE GRANT IS TO DEEPEN RESEARCH EFFORTS RELATING TO THE SCIENCE OF MCCS IN OLDER ADULTS, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO GREATLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE OF THE GROWING POPULATION OF OLDER PEOPLE LIVING WITH MCCS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH AD/ADRD. AS THE POOL OF RESEARCHERS FOCUSED ON MCCS IN OLDER ADULTS HAS INCREASED, A CONFERENCE SERIES FOCUSED ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO MCCS IN OLDER ADULTS, THAT WILL FACILITATE AND ENHANCE COLLABORATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ENDEAVORS IS CRITICAL. THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE SERIES WILL FOCUS ON AREAS SUCH AS EXPLANATORY AND PRAGMATIC CLINICAL TRIALS RELATED TO MCCS PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT, MECHANISTIC RESEARCH, AND CLINICAL PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT ACROSS CLINICAL SETTINGS. THE FIRST CONFERENCE IN THE SERIES WILL FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THE INTERSECTION OF MCCS AND AD/ADRD. UNDER THIS R13, WE WILL ESPECIALLY SEEK TO PROMOTE HEALTH EQUITY, INTEGRATING THE VOICES OF PATIENTS AND CARE PARTNERS INTO OUR SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE PLANNING ACTIVITIES, AND SPECIAL EFFORTS WILL BE MADE TO MAKE PARTICIPATION AVAILABLE TO UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIZED (URM) SCIENTISTS. WE PROPOSE THREE SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES OVER THE COURSE OF THE R13. THE THEME OF EACH CONFERENCE WILL VARY. THE THEME OF OUR FIRST CONFERENCE WILL BE “THE INTERSECTION OF MCCS AND AD/ADRD.” THE THEME OF OUR SECOND CONFERENCE WILL BE “SEX/GENDER AND MCCS RESEARCH.” THE THEME OF OUR THIRD CONFERENCE WILL BE “PREVENTING MCCS ALONG THE LIFE COURSE.” THE EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF EACH CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS AROUND: (1) CONTENT KNOWLEDGE; (2) ADDRESSING METHODOLOGIC RESEARCH CHALLENGES; (3) CAREER DEVELOPMENT (E.G., MANUSCRIPT DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLICATION; FUNDING STRATEGIES AND GRANTSMANSHIP); AND (4) NETWORKING. EACH CONFERENCE WILL PROVIDE A UNIQUE AND UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH RELATING TO MCCS IN OLDER ADULTS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH AD/ADRD, AND TO ADVANCE THE CAREERS OF JUNIOR INVESTIGATORS.