The overall goal of this 5-year career development award is to facilitate Colin Depp, Ph.D.'s transition to an independent investigator in late-life bipolar disorder, focusing on psychosocial interventions and medication adherence. Dr. Depp is an NIMH-funded T32 fellow at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). His research background is in clinical geropsychology, and he has authored over 30 manuscripts (published, in press, or submitted) related to clinical aging issues. During his fellowship, Dr. Depp has investigated late-life bipolar disorder, completing a number of studies in this neglected research arena. Findings from this research indicate that there is a major unmet need for adjunctive psychosocial treatments that are tailored for these patients. Given the importance of medication adherence to treatment of bipolar disorder, and the unique factors related to adherence among older adults (e.g., cognitive impairment), Dr. Depp developed and piloted an intervention to enhance adherence in this group. To develop a trajectory toward becoming an independent intervention researcher in aging, bipolar disorder, and medication adherence, Dr. Depp's career development goals are: 1) to gain a foundation in the treatment of older persons with bipolar disorder and expertise in medication adherence assessment and interventions, 2) to become proficient in designing and conducting ethically-sound clinical trials in this population, and 3) to investigate the relationship of neurocognitive impairments to medication non-adherence to inform future interventions. The proposed training plan will include formal coursework and mentorship from local and national experts in geriatric psychopharmacology, bipolar disorder, medication adherence assessment and interventions, and cognitive science. The training plan is complemented by a research project involving a six-month clinical trial of 90 older persons, who will be randomized to a Medication Adherence Skills Training intervention for bipolar disorder (MAST-BD) (n=45) or a supportive intervention condition (n=45). The MAST-BD intervention, to be further developed through the training plan, combines age-adapted educational, motivational, and medication management components. This research project and training plan will assist the candidate's development from post-doctoral fellow to an independent investigator at UCSD, providing the foundation for a long-term research program focused on improving treatment of bipolar disorder in older adults.
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