Nicole R. Fowler, PhD, MHSA

Contact : fowlern@iu.edu

Initiatives

Associate Director and Research Scientist, Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute
Director of Research, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
Associate Professor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
Implementation Scientist, Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science

Nicole Fowler, PhD, MHSA is Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Medicine and an Associate Professor at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine. She is also a scientist at the Regenstrief Institute and in the Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science at IU. From 2019-2024 she served as the Associate Director of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at the Regenstrief Institute and from 2021-2024 was the inaugural Director of Research for the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.

Dr. Fowler is an applied health services researcher with particular interest in improving organization and delivery of health services for older adults living with complex health and social care needs, in particular, people living with dementia and their family caregivers. She has designed and conducted multiple trials in the areas of nonpharmacologic approaches in dementia care, family caregiving, and medical decision making for older adults with cognitive impairment.

As an educator, Dr. Fowler mentors multiple junior faculty and trainees and is the Director of the MD-PhD training program in social and behavioral research in Alzheimer’s disease at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Featured Projects

The Caregiver Outcomes of Alzheimer's Disease Screening (COADS) Trial

(NIH/NIA) (06/2018 – 02/2023)

Role: Principal Investigator

Our goal is to study to measure the benefits and harms of AD screening on family members of older adults and to measure how the risks and benefits vary between patients and their family members

Decision Making Among Older Adults: The Auto study

(NIH/NIA)(05/2019 – 02/2024)

Role: Co-Investigator

A web-based decision aid could help older adults make decisions about driving that are informed and in-line with personal values. Understanding which types of older adults benefit most from the decision aid, along with when the decision aid should be used, will help optimize real-world use.

Program of Intensive Support in Emergency Departments for Care Partners of Cognitively Impaired Patients (POISED-CPCIP)

(NIH/NIA) (08/2017 – 05/2022)

Role: Principal Investigator

The goal of this study is to test whether a novel care management program for family caregivers of persons with dementia can reduce the need for ED use. We will also test whether this intervention will lead to more activated caregivers who may also benefit by having fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, and experiencing greater social support

The Aging Brain ANSWERS Program

(DOD)(09/2017 – 08/2022)

Role: Principal Investigator

Our proposed ABC ANSWERS intervention, which includes a partnership between Indiana University, Cleveland State, and the Richard L. Roudebush VAMC, will incorporate and integrate the common features of an evidence-based collaborative care model for brain care, while also attending to the implementation barriers of delivering care and skills to dyads of patients with AD and TBI and their family caregivers

Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

(NIH)(05/2018 – 04/2023)

Role: Co-Investigator

To enhance an institute that facilitates clinical and translational biomedical research within Indiana. The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) was created in 2008 by the partnership of three research universities in Indiana (Indiana, Purdue, and Notre Dame) as a statewide institute that facilitates clinical and translational research

Featured Publications

Feb 16, 2021

Feasibility and acceptability of an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for caregivers of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Publication: BMC Geriatrics

DOI: 10.1186/s12877-021-02078-0

Authors: Fowler NR, Judge KS, Lucas K, Gowan T, Stutz, Shan M, Wilhelm L, Parry T, Johns SA

Feb 19, 2020

Examining the benefits and harms of Alzheimer's disease screening for family members of older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Publication: Trials

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-4029-5

Authors: Fowler NR, Head K, Perkins AJ, Gao S, Callahan CM, Bakas T, Suarez SD, Boustani MA

Mar 2020

Risks and Benefits of Screening for Dementia in Primary Care: The Indiana University Cognitive Health Outcomes Investigation of the Comparative Effectiveness of Dementia Screening (IU CHOICE)Trial

Publication: The American Journal of Geriatrics Society

DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16247

Authors: Fowler NR, Perkins A, Gao A, Sachs G, Boustani MA

Nicole R. Fowler, PhD, MHSA

Featured Projects

Featured Publications

Feasibility and acceptability of an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for caregivers of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Examining the benefits and harms of Alzheimer's disease screening for family members of older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Risks and Benefits of Screening for Dementia in Primary Care: The Indiana University Cognitive Health Outcomes Investigation of the Comparative Effectiveness of Dementia Screening (IU CHOICE)Trial

Projects

EQUIPD (Equity Using Interventions for Pain and Depression)

Decisions about Cancer Screening in Alzheimer’s Disease – DECAD

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Nicole R. Fowler, PhD, MHSA

Featured Projects

Featured Publications

Projects