Abstract – Program Development (Pilot) Core – Core B The goal of the Johns Hopkins’ Economics of Alzheimer’s Disease & Services (HEADS) Center Program Development (Pilot) Core is to cultivate high-impact Pilot studies that address the Center’s overall aims. The Pilot Core will be responsible for soliciting, reviewing, funding, and supporting the successful execution of small-scale innovative research projects that are needed to develop larger-scale and confirmatory studies that address critical gaps in knowledge related to Center Themes. The Pilot Core will leverage the entire HEADS Center research environment to ensure that Pilot PIs are fully engaged in the Center community such that findings are disseminated to maximize impact, and that mentorship and tailored data and computing needs are met and supported. Proposed HEADS Center Pilot studies will either address theory-driven analyses to generate and/or test hypotheses or be exploratory studies to develop and test new methods. SPECIFIC AIM 1. To execute a structured process to solicit, review, and fund promising small scale and innovative research projects that identify, quantify, and address challenges posed by ADRD that are aligned with HEADS Center research themes. SPECIFIC AIM 2. To support successful execution of funded Pilot studies by a) providing oversight and individualized support (e.g., project management, budgeting, data security, contingency planning) to maximize the rigor and timely completion of Pilot studies; and b) ensuring Pilot PIs are connected to R&D and Data Cores and integrated within the overall Center. The Pilot Core will contribute to the overall HEADS Center through promoting faculty development – both of junior faculty and of senior faculty seeking a new research direction in line with our themes; cultivating novel and high-impact studies; and contributing to the overall HEADS Center scientific community. Proposed Year 01 Pilots will examine (1) the promise of leveraging novel data collected during routine clinical care from the Electronic Health Record to identify older adults with ADRD (Kharrazi); (2) race-based disparities in ADRD caregiving in help-seeking and service use (Fabius); (3) the prevalence and magnitude of ADRD-related financial loss (Nicholas); and (4) differences in prescribing patterns for older adults with ADRD who are enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare as compared with Medicare Advantage managed care (Drabo).
