Current Research Projects
Here is a collection of ongoing research initiatives aimed at improving care for older adults utilizing a comprehensive approach that blends quantitative, qualitative, and implementation science methodologies.
Improving hospice care for racial and ethnic minoritized older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD)
Project Team
Team: Alexander Smith, MD, MPH, MS, Dan Dohan, PhD, Jennifer James, PhD, MS, MSW, Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP, Rebecca Sudore, MD
Overview
This 5-year R01-funded study aims to improve hospice and end-of-life care for persons with dementia and their care communities. The project consists of the following three aims:
Aim 1: Understanding Former Caregiver Experiences and Preferences
In this component, we will gather the perspectives of former care partners of persons who died with dementia who identify as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or multiracial. Through semi-structured interviews and validated survey measures, we will gather experiences of end-of-life care and bias and generate definitions of high-quality end-of-life care, attending to variation within and across identity. This aspect of the research recognizes the diversity of preferences, acknowledging that traditional hospice models may not fully align with the cultural and personal values of these communities.
Aim 2: Examining Organizational Practices
By conducting organizational case studies, we will document hospice practices and policies that influence care for racial and ethnic minoritized persons with dementia. Drawing from surveys, meeting observations, staff interviews, and document reviews, we aim to uncover systemic facilitators and barriers to dementia care within hospice organizations. These findings will be crucial in understanding the structural factors that contribute to disparities in access and quality of care.
Aim 3: Developing Recommendations for Equity
Through collaboration with care partners, policy makers, and experts in hospice and dementia, the project will generate a prioritized set of recommendations for improving equity in hospice care. Building on the insights gathered from aims 1 and 2, this stage will ensure that the proposed recommendations are informed by both the lived experiences of the affected communities and the systemic challenges identified within hospice organizations. The goal is to bridge the gap between current practices and the diverse needs of racial and ethnic minoritized persons with dementia and care partners.
DEploying High ValuE LOngitudinal Population-Based dAta in Dementia Research (DEVELOP AD Research)
This 5 year P01-funded program project supports a series of projects using large secondary data sets (i.e. National Health and Aging Trends Study, Health and Retirement Study, Medicare Care Beneficiary Survey, Medicare Claims) to understand how serious medical illness and social and economic factors impact outcomes in persons with dementia and their caregivers. The project is a joint endeavor between the UCSF Division of Geriatrics and the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
UCSF Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence (Pepper) Center - Vulnerable Populations Aging Research Core
Alongside Dr. Rebecca Sudore, Dr. Harrison co-directs the UCSF Pepper Center Vulnerable Populations Aging Research Core (VARC) to further develop the UCSF Pepper Center’s initiatives in assisting investigators with designing and executing primary data collection studies involving older adults with medical or social vulnerability.
VARC hosts monthly Office Hours, welcoming all researchers and staff who would like to seek guidance on study design and qualitative/mixed methods analysis.