Tuesday, October 14, 2025 10/14/2025

Writing to Heal: Developing an Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Writing Intervention for Alzheimer’s Disease Spousal Caregivers

Award Number: K01AG073824
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/15/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2024

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Writing to Heal: Developing an Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Writing Intervention for Alzheimer’s Disease Spousal Caregivers - Project Summary/Abstract Caregiving for a spouse with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD) is extremely stressful and often prolonged, ranging from 3.3 and 11.7 years. For many caregivers, this period serves as a “living bereavement,” or a time of grieving the loved one they once knew before the ADRD progression. Heightened inflammation and its associated sickness behaviors may negatively influence caregiver’s health and quality of life. Low heart rate variability (HRV) reflects poor vagal tone, or a diminished capacity to emotionally and physiologically recover from stress and engage in one’s social environment, which could negatively impact their ability to give care. However, it is unknown whether interventions aimed at improving caregiver grief, inflammation, and HRV among ADRD spousal caregivers are feasible or effective. Guided by the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, the candidate’s past research in Stage 0 informs the Stage 1 & Stage 2 research proposed here, providing valuable training in translating observational research findings into intervention development, and testing for preliminary efficacy. These studies will lay the groundwork for a future NIH-funded randomized control trial (R01 application submitted in Year 5) to test the efficacy of the targeted writing intervention in decreasing caregiving grief, improving HRV, reducing inflammation and sickness behaviors, and improving quality of life and caregiving self-efficacy among ADRD spousal caregivers. Training activities specifically designed to coincide with the proposed project will be accomplished through a combination of formal coursework, mentorship with directed readings, workshops, hands-on training, grant writing, and research activities. The training will take place primarily at Rice University’s Bioscience Research Collaborative (BRC), an innovative space where scientists and educators from Rice University and its neighbors in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) can come together to conduct collaborative research to improve human health through science. This five-year plan for the proposed Mentor Career Development Award is aimed at launching the candidate’s independent research career in identifying and targeting biobehavioral mechanisms that inform intervention development, reduce disease burden, and promote quality of life among the aging.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$324 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA	1 UNF DR	JACKSONVILLE	FL	32224	DUVAL	USA	Aging Research	001	4	6/19/2025	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$122,481
2025	2024	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	002	3	7/31/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$122,805
2025	2024	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	000	3	6/18/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = -$324

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $122,805 )
2024	2024	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	005	3	8/14/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$122,805
2024	2023	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	001	2	10/25/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$108,725
2024	2023	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	003	2	8/1/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$121,117
2024	2023	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	002	2	7/23/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	-$121,117
2024	2023	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	004	2	8/2/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2024	2022	WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY	6100 MAIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77005	HARRIS	USA	Aging Research	000	1	10/25/2023	NEW	-$108,725
														Subtotal = $122,805

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $121,117 )
2023	2023	BAYLOR UNIVERSITY	700 S UNIVERSITY PARKS DR	WACO	TX	76706	MCLENNAN	USA	Aging Research	002	2	7/17/2023	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$121,117
2023	2022	WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY	6100 MAIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77005	HARRIS	USA	Aging Research	000	1	4/28/2023	NEW	$0
2023	2022	WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY	6100 MAIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77005	HARRIS	USA	Aging Research	001	1	7/14/2023	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $121,117

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $122,835 )
2022	2022	WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY	6100 MAIN ST	HOUSTON	TX	77005	HARRIS	USA	Aging Research	000	1	6/8/2022	NEW	$122,835
														Subtotal = $122,835

Grand Total All Awards = $366,433

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Writing to Heal: Developing an Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Writing Intervention for Alzheimer’s Disease Spousal Caregivers

Award Number: K01AG073824

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: TRAINING/TRAINEESHIP

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/15/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2024

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