The AWARD Network had a busy end to 2024, with two conferences (at AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting and the Gerontological Society of America), our inaugural Summer Training Institute in July, and our first Research Fellowship awards.

We also are excited to share that Lei Chen, PhD, our post-doctoral fellow and project manager for the AWARD Network, welcomed her new baby boy, Leo, on October 23!

Please send content and ideas for future Newsletters to AWARDNetwork@ucsf.edu. And send us links to your new publications, announcements about your accomplishments, and information about any presentations you’ve made so we can share them with the Network. Don’t be shy – this is a place to celebrate this important work!

Read on for more news to advance your research on the workforce that serves people living with dementia!  

The Committees that organize AWARD Network activities rotate membership every 1-2 years, based on your responses in your initial registration and updates you provide in our volunteer update form.

You can learn about our committees and current committee members on the AWARD Network website.

AWARD Network volunteers Madeline Sterling and Jarmin Yeh at a conference in Pittsburgh, September, 2024.

AWARD Network Monthly Webinar Series is scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month, 9am PT / 12pm ET (except in July).

March 3: “Pragmatic clinical trials for people living with dementia and their care partners” with Joan Carpenter, PhD, University of Maryland. Register here.

April 2: “Innovating rural dementia care: telehealth implementation in nursing homes” with Kim Powell, PhD, RN, FAMIA, University of Missouri. Register here.

May 7: Overview of research by AWARD Network Research Fellows

June 4: “Buddhist approach to dementia care,” with Henry Shiu, PhD, MA, University of Toronto

Watch our Webinar webpage to register for future webinars and view recordings of past webinars!

The AWARD Network is developing a research-ready harmonized dataset of policies and programs that affect the demand, supply, working conditions, and skills of direct care workers. The data compendium is accompanied by detailed documentation that includes references to primary data sources.

We have released the harmonized datasets for four policies and programs:

• State Medicaid waiver programs
• Wage pass-through laws
• Training regulations for direct care workers
• Staffing regulations for nursing homes and assisted living facilities

You can download materials from the data compendium webpage, where we will continue to share updates on the data compendium. 

Exciting work is underway by the two awardees of the inaugural AWARD Network Research Fellowship Program! 

Alfred Boakye, a PhD student in the Division of Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is conducting survey research on knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and coping strategies among nursing assistants providing dementia care in nursing homes. The findings from this research will inform trauma-informed intervention development in nursing homes. AWARD Network funds are supporting gift cards for survey respondents, among other costs.  

Alexandra C. Llovet, an MD/PhD student at the Emory Rollins School of Public Health, is using mixed methods to explore the use of adult day services by Hispanic older adults with dementia. This research is intended to inform interventions to address the current and future workforce needs in this service setting. AWARD Network funds are supporting key informant interview costs, among other costs.

Thanks to the AWARD Network Research Fellowship Selection Committee for their help in supporting these two emerging scholars in the dementia care workforce field! 

This year’s meeting provided an opportunity for the Summer Institute Scholars to reconnect and a few provided updates on their projects. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2025 Annual Meeting at GSA in Boston.

AWARD Network meeting in conjunction with the GSA Conference in Seattle

The National Dementia Workforce Study, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, is conducting the first large, annual surveys of the dementia care workforce in the United States. Survey data and other linked data sources will create an unprecedented resource for researchers to answer critical questions about the workforce and its impact on care and outcomes for persons living with dementia.

Data will be available this summer, and access will be free! There will be public-use data files as well as restricted-use files available through NIA’s LINKAGE platform.

You can learn more about this important data resource and sign up for the mailing list at: https://www.ndws.org/

The mission of the Age-Friendly Health Systems Research Network is to advance the evidence base for Age-Friendly Health Systems and the 4Ms.

All individuals interested in AFHS evidence generation are welcome to join the network. Activities include webinars and resources to support research on age-friendly care.

Learn more and join the Network on their website!

Post Doctoral Fellow - Huiwen Xu Research Team - School of Nursing. We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral research associate to join Dr. Huiwen Xu’s research team in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. The candidate will primarily work on Dr. Xu’s two NIH-funded R01 projects on nursing homes (R01AG081282 and R01AG087296), in addition to other long-term care projects. The candidate should have strong analytical and writing skills, a track record of publications, and have a deep understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, especially long-term care system. The candidate should be familiar with SAS or Stata, and has experience with advanced statistics and causal inference methods. Previous experience with Medicare claims and nursing home assessments will be highly preferred. The initial appointment will be 12 months, starting on or after May 1, 2025. Renewal is dependent upon funding and satisfactory performance.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) have funding opportunities relevant to the dementia care workforce. Please check to make sure opportunities have not been withdrawn or expired before applying.

• NIA Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Awards to Promote Diversity in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (K99/R00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-24-271) – expires July 13, 2027
• Advancing Healthcare for Older Adults from Populations that Experience Health Disparities (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-24-273) – expires January 28, 2028
• The Role of Work in Health Disparities in the U.S. (R01 Clinical Trials Optional) (PAR-25-292) – expires January 8, 2028
• Research on Current Topics in Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Related Dementias (R01: PAR-25-332, R21: PAR-25-331) – expires November, 2027
• Notice of Special Interest: AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research to Improve Care Delivery, Access, Quality, Equity, and Health Outcomes for Older Adults (NOT-HS-24-013) – expires May 15, 2027
• Special Emphasis Notice: AHRQ Announces Interest in Health Services Research to Improve Healthcare for Persons Living with Disabilities (NOT-HS-24-004)
• NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Broad Participation in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PAR-24-333) – expires December 9, 2027

To learn more about federal funding opportunities, visit this website.

Pilot Funding Opportunities:

• NEXT STEPs Network for Nursing Home Explanatory Clinical Trials aim to support high-quality research by advising on research design, disseminating best practices, and sharing findings to improve nursing home care. Deadline is April 8, 2025.

Non-Federal Funding Opportunities:

• Retirement Research Foundation (RRF) Research Grants fund research that seeks to identify interventions, policies and practices to improve the well-being of older adults and/or their caregivers. Three application cycles per year.
• Alzheimer’s Association Research Grant to Promote Diversity (AARG-D) – letter of intent due February 27, 2025
• Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship to Promote Diversity (AACSF-D) – letter of intent due February 27, 2025
• Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship (AACSF) Program – letter of intent due February 27, 2025
• Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship (AARF) – letter of intent due February 27, 2025
• Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG) – letter of intent due February 27, 2025
• Health Services Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (HSR-ADRD) Funding Program – letter of intent due February 26, 2025

Send us your new articles so we can include them in future newsletters! Email us at AWARDNetwork@ucsf.edu.

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