The Power of Collaborative Research
Current Research Projects
Goals of Care Addressing Disparities and Variation for Alzheimer's Disease Nursing Home Care at End of Life (GOC ADVANCE)
The GOC ADVANCE (Goals of Care- Addressing Disparities and Variation for Alzheimer's disease Nursing home Care at End of life) clinical trial, conducted in nursing homes that serve a high proportion of Black Americans, will evaluate a systematic communication intervention addressing goals of care and treatment decisions for people with late-stage dementia. Investigators will partner with Community Advisors to enroll Black and White family decision-makers, with the overarching goal of equal access to high quality communication and shared decision-making about treatments for people with late-stage dementia.
Veteran Experience Center (VEC)
The objective of the Veteran Experience Center is to enhance the care of seriously ill Veterans throughout the VA system and to establish and disseminate care processes that lead to improved outcomes, such as communication, spiritual support, and symptom management, for Veterans nearing the end of life and their families. The Bereaved Family Survey (BFS) is the central component of the Veteran Experience Center, and it has been endorsed by the National Quality Forum as well as being a Performance Measure for Rehabilitation and Extended Care Integrated Clinical Communities.
Veterans’ Health Administration, HSRD QUERI Program Project Improving Hospice and Palliative Care Everywhere (I-HOPE)
Improving Hospice and Palliative Care Everywhere (I-HOPE) is a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) QUERI program project focused on expanding access to high-quality hospice and palliative care for Veterans. The project works to implement and spread evidence-based practices across care settings to improve serious illness and end-of-life care delivery nationwide.
The NH Explanatory Trials Network: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing
Partnerships (The NEXT STEPS)
The proposed project, NEXT STEPs (Nursing Home EXplanatory Clinical Trials: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing Partnerships) Network, creates a national infrastructure that will address systemic barriers to conducting research in nursing homes (NHs). NHs care for people with serious, complex medical illnesses and are a critical site of care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). The proposed infrastructure is needed to identify and overcome the multiple challenges to conducting research in this setting of care, which include navigating regulatory and recruitment challenges for people with ADRD.
Palliative Essentials- Enhancing Serious Illness Care in Nursing Homes Through Education and Training
This project, funded by the Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Quality Improvement Project aims to strengthen palliative care knowledge and practices in nursing homes. Through a train-the-trainer model, facility champions receive palliative care education and resources to support the integration of person-centered palliative care practices within their facilities.
Examination of Nursing Home Structures and Processes on Care and Symptom Management Outcomes
This qualitative study explores how nursing home structures and care processes influence resident care and symptom management. Through one-time interviews with nursing home staff, the study will examine factors such as staffing, organizational culture, policies, communication, decision-making, and care delivery, as well as their relationship to hospital transfers, advance care planning, and symptom management.