This is an application for renewal of a K24 mentoring award in patient oriented research in aging from Mark Lachs MD MPH of the Weill Cornell Medical College. The immediate objectives of the program are (1) to extend the candidate's successful program of mentorship created in the first cycle to trainees at Columbia University in collaboration with Dr. Linda Fried in any mentee-directed area of aging research (the local program), and (2) to create a national mentorship program for junior investigators in the field of elder abuse (the national program). Both initiatives derive from barriers identified in the first cycle which hamper career development of two specific mentee constituencies. In the case of the proposed local program, the world renowned aging research activities of Columbia University have not yet highly impacted its Division of Geriatric Medicine. In the case of the proposed national program, dearth of highly trained investigators in the field of elder abuse who can mentor the next generation of researchers is a dire concern; Dr. Lachs is the only physician-scientist in the history of NIH to hold an RO1 in the field, a requirement of the K24 mechanism. Over the course of the first K24 cycle, the candidate was contacted regularly by trainees of both types desirous of mentorship; this renewal formalizes that process while continuing to serve the steady pool of potential mentees created by the original program. Notable achievements in the first cycle include: the mentorship of 24 trainees at all levels who coauthored multiple publications with the PI and received many federal and foundation grants, renewal of the parent RO1 - the largest elder abuse grant in the history of NIA to study resident to resident elder mistreatment (RREM) in nursing homes, the acquisition of three other major grants to the PI which will serve as a resource for mentees, and the acquisition or renewal of several major center grants at Cornell (with which the PI assisted) that have pilot programs and other resources than can assist mentees nationally and locally. These include an NIA funded Roybal Center (led by former mentee Dr. Cary Reid), renewal of an NIMH Geriatric Depression Center (led by longstanding collaborator Dr. George Alexopolous), and a CTSC (led by fellow Division Chief Dr. Julianne Imperato-McGinley). Three pilot projects involving mentees at different levels in both arms of the program are proposed for the initial year: (1) A study of Vitamin D supplementation in meals on wheels recipients by Columbia geriatrician Dr. Tien Dam (local program), (2) A study of psychiatric co-morbidity in RREM by University of Rochester Geriatric Psychiatrist EJ Santos (national program), and (3) a study of RREM in assisted living facilities by Cornell ED Resident Anthony Rosen (local program). The PI has made data sets and/or research resources available for each project, emblematic how subsequent mentoring will be structured. An additional strength of the application is co-mentorship from Dr. Lachs' colleague Dr. Jeanne Teresi and her research group at the Hebrew Home for the Aged. A psychometrician and statistician, Dr. Teresi is a collaborating investigator all his current projects, and has mentored over 200 individuals in aging research. The Long Term Objectives of the K24 program are (1) to more fully integrate patient oriented research in aging at Cornell and Columbia, thereby inciting more trainees to select careers in aging research, and (2) to create a self-sustaining cadre of researchers who conduct patient oriented research in elder abuse. The overarching and longest term objective for both the national and local programs is that they ultimately be self-sustaining and independent of the candidate, as mentees take on mentor roles.
The immediate objectives of this K24 renewal from Dr. Mark Lachs at Weill Cornell Medical College are (1) to extend the candidate's successful program of mentorship created in the first cycle to trainees at Columbia University and (2) to create a national mentorship program for junior investigators in the field of elder abuse. Three pilot projects involving mentees at different levels in both arms of the program are proposed for the initial year. An additional strength of the application is co-mentorship from Dr. Lachs' colleague Dr. Jeanne Teresi and her research group at the Hebrew Home for the Aged. A psychometrician and statistician, Dr. Teresi is a collaborating investigator all his current projects, and has mentored over 200 individuals in aging research. The Long Term Objectives of the K24 program are (1) to more fully integrate patient oriented research in aging at Cornell and Columbia, thereby inciting more trainees to select careers in aging research, and (2) to create a self-sustaining cadre of researchers who conduct patient oriented research in elder abuse. The overarching and longest term objective for both the national and local programs is that they ultimately be self-sustaining and independent of the candidate, as mentees take on mentor roles.
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