Midcareer Investigator Award in Translational Patient-Oriented Research in Aging This application is for a K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research to promote mentoring and career development in dissemination and implementation research that improves mobility and prevents disability in community-dwelling older adults. Dr. Jennifer Brach, PI of the proposed award, is a physical therapist, epidemiologist and scientist committed to mentoring health professional trainees and junior faculty and working to improve the mobility and quality of life of older adults. For over 15 years, she has conducted patient-oriented research studies focused on increasing successful aging among vulnerable older adults and she has built a strong multi-disciplinary network of research collaborators who are available to co-mentor trainees and junior faculty. Her long-term goal is to bridge the gap between clinical research, public health, and everyday practice by transferring the findings from clinical trials to practice settings and communities, where the findings will improve mobility and prevent disability in older adults and to train health professionals and junior faculty for a successful career in academic investigation. Dr. Brach seeks support from a NIA K24 career award to: 1) establish a research training and mentoring program that will prepare beginning scholars to become successful, independent patient-oriented researchers in disability prevention in aging, 2) obtain additional training and participate in practical experiences in dissemination and implementation science that will enhance her translational research skills, and 3) extend her currently funded work to bridge the gap between clinical research and practice settings and the community. Dr. Brach has a substantial and growing track record of mentorship of trainees from a variety of disciplines; the requested K24 support would allow her to curtail teaching and administrative responsibilities so that she can focus the majority of her time on research and mentoring.
Walking difficulty is a common and costly problem in older adults. Almost half of all community-dwelling older adults report walking difficulty and of those without such difficulty, approximately 22% will develop new difficulty over one year. Exercise promotes physical and mental health and may improve mobility and prevent walking difficulty in older adults. Innovative exercise programs to improve mobility and the translation of such programs into everyday clinical practice is urgently needed. This award will provide the primary investigator with the necessary resources and protected time to train junior investigators in patient-oriented research with a focus on knowledge translation in disability prevention in aging, helping new exercise interventions reach clinical practice and the community more quickly thus leading to improved mobility outcomes and enhanced quality of life for older adults.
| Hergenroeder, Andrea L; Barone Gibbs, Bethany; Kotlarczyk, Mary P et al. (2018) Accuracy of Objective Physical Activity Monitors in Measuring Steps in Older Adults. Gerontol Geriatr Med 4:2333721418781126 |
