Research and Community

Workforce Development Engages Diverse Older Adults to Catalyze Innovative Approaches for Enhanced Recruitment and Retention

This work, led by Dr. Kady Nearing, will recruit, train and hire diverse older adults into paid positions as research specialists who, as part of the enhanced clinical research infrastructure, will help catalyze innovative solutions to mitigate existing cultural divides between potential study participants and research professionals caused by differences in age, socioeconomic status, education levels, rural versus urban locality, and health literacy. Leveraging this enhanced capacity, we will host Research Roadshow events to engage diverse older adults throughout rural/frontier communities in Colorado, providing fun, experiential opportunities to engage with research and research teams. We will promote enduring connections with diverse communities through expanded community outreach and engagement programming, enhanced facilitation of the informed consent process, and use of tailored communication strategies.

The Colorado Program for Patient-Centered Decisions

Led by Dr. Dan Matlock, the Colorado Program for Patient Centered Decisions takes a broad view of shared decision making and brings together multidisciplinary expertise in development of materials, measurement of outcomes, and implementation into practice settings. This group has a track record of funding from private foundations, the American College of Cardiology, the NIH, and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Some of the tools they have developed are available at patientdecisionaid.org.  A unique feature of this program is funning a Patient and Family Research Advisory Panel of older adults and caregivers run by a multidisciplinary team of researchers including a geriatrician to cultivate a voice amongst patients and family members to assure that patients’ perspectives inform the research that they do.

Primary Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning Research

Primary care settings are well-equipped to improve advance care planning for older adults and care for individuals with serious illnesses. Led by Dr. Hillary Lum, our work focuses on designing, testing and implementing novel interventions such as advance care planning group visits and electronic health record-based tools. We work closely with the health care system and community partners to engage patients and families in meaningful conversations. Learn more at ColoradoCarePlanning.org or email ColoradoCarePlanning@cuanschutz.edu.

PACRATS a multidisciplinary group of investigators at the University of Colorado

The goal of PACRATS is to improve the approach researchers take within the post-acute care community by:

• Emphasizing the role of community engagement,
• Standardizing study designs that adhere to regulatory requirements in our complex health care environment, and
• Developing research best practices for older, and often vulnerable, patient populations.

Our group includes researchers from the School of Medicine, the Division of Health Care Policy and Research, the Department of Medicine, College of Nursing, the PACE program and community providers. Pre-and post-doctoral trainees are also involved. 

During our monthly meetings, we collaborate with community-based providers and members of the post-acute care community to discuss ways of improving care.

RESTORE Team | Rehabilitation Science

Movement for Everyone

The RESTORE Team is a collaborative research team committed to optimizing movement and quality of life in older adults, through innovative research and educational excellence. The team is comprised of dedicated faculty research assistants, post-doctoral fellows, PhD and master's students, Doctor of Physical Therapy students and interns, supported by a network of multidisciplinary collaborators. 

Patient-centered Injury Prevention

Patient-Centered Injury Prevention

Injuries can have a significant negative impact on the mobility, health, and well-being of older adults. Working closely with colleagues at the CU Injury and Violence Prevention Center, Dr. Emmy Betz leads Patient-centered Injury Prevention, a large program of research to develop and test innovative, acceptable interventions to prevent injuries. Two large-scale studies, funded by the NIH (“AUTO Study” and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (“LongROAD Study”), are examining the behavior and preferences of older drivers. A new NIH-funded study (“Safe at Home”) is testing an intervention with dementia caregivers to prevent firearm-related injuries. Information on studies, intervention, and media coverage are available online.