The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded four pilot projects funded through NEXT STEPs (Nursing Home EXplanatory Clinical Trials: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing Partnerships), a national initiative led by Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine to strengthen clinical trials in nursing homes and expand research participation among residents.
“With the NEXT STEPs project, we are building out tools and resources to spur the development of high-quality clinical trials in the nursing home setting,” said Kathleen T. Unroe, M.D., principal investigator of NEXT STEPs, and a research scientist at Regenstrief and IU School of Medicine. “Our pilot grants program is an important part of that effort. We are thrilled to fund these four investigators whose projects focus on a range of critical clinical issues in the nursing home setting of care.”
The inaugural pilot awardees represent institutions across the country and are focused on improving care delivery, symptom management and quality of life for nursing home residents.
Pilot awardees
- Evan Plys, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will lead a project adapting an evidence-based behavioral intervention to be inclusive of residents with serious mental illness in community nursing homes. His research focuses on non-pharmacological treatments for mental health challenges in both post-acute and long-term care.
- Connie Cole, PhD, DNP, APRN, an assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will focus on timely identification of unmet palliative care needs in nursing homes. Her work aims to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life for residents with serious illness, particularly those living with dementia.
- Ellen McCreedy, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University, will study improved identification strategies and outcome measurement to support a future explanatory trial of a personalized music intervention for dementia related agitation.
- Cara McDermott, PharmD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Duke University, will focus on optimizing medications to reduce hospitalizations for older adults with multiple chronic conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with an emphasis on medication management during care transitions.
The pilot projects are an early step in NEXT STEPs’ broader effort to build sustainable partnerships among researchers, nursing homes, residents, families and advocates to advance evidence-based care for older adults.
NEXT STEPs is supported by a five-year, $15.5 million award from the NIA to establish a national network structure that enables more inclusive, high impact clinical trials in nursing homes.
Kathleen T. Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S.
In addition to being a research scientist with the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute, Kathleen T. Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S. is the Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and a practicing geriatrician.
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