Foundation-Sponsored Research: Frailty Outcomes and Impact of California's Certified Medical Director Requirement
Session Summary: The goal of this presentation is to provide participants information about the PALTC grant program to facilitate submission of proposals that fulfill the Foundation's vision for advancing research, training, and practice initiatives. Participants will learn about the process for submission, review, and critique of submitted grants. The session will outline how to satisfy funding criteria and show how to differentiate between submissions likely to be funded and those that do not fulfill criteria for funding. Primary topics of interest for potential funding as well as features of successful collaboration will be highlighted. Results of award-winning research grant on frailty in the post-acute setting and a special project to evaluate the the role of Medical Directors in the delivery of high-quality nursing home care and early impact of California Law AB749 will be presented and open for discussion.
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate between approaches to clinical research that fulfill funding criteria and those that do not.
- Outline the importance of frailty assessment of older adults in guiding rehabilitation strategies and barriers encountered to the process.
- Identify innovation and strengths of the scientific approach used to evaluate the current landscape of the role of certified medical directors in nursing homes and their relationship to nursing home quality.
Barbara Zarowitz, PharmD, MSW
Senior Advisor and Affiliate Professor
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Dr. Zarowitz (PharmD, MSW) is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy who teaches interprofessional students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social work. She mentors fellows and residents in geriatric pharmacotherapy research at the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging. Dr. Zarowitz serves as a Board member of the Foundation for PALTC , Chairperson of the Grant Committee, and a reviewer for JAMDA.
Brian McGarry, PT, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics and Aging
University of Rochester Medical Center
After receiving his PhD in Health Services Research, Dr. McGarry completed post-doctoral training in health and economics policy at Harvard University. He is an Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatrics and Aging, Department of Medicine and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. Brian is funded by the National Institute on Aging to study The Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias on Older Adults’ Medicare Coverage Choices. He was the Foundation for PALTC 2023 grant awardee for his work on The Impact of Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality on COVID-19 Outcomes in U.S. Nursing Homes.
Charles Semelka, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Dr. Semelka is an Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine whose research is focused on clinical health outcomes in frail older adults. He serves as a nursing home medical director supervising the care of patients undergoing rehabilitative post-acute care and residential long-term care. Since completion of a T32 research post-doctoral fellowship and master's degree in translational science, Dr. Semelka has received numerous awards and made critical contributions to science.
