ABSTRACT
This submission by Hillary Lum, MD, PhD for the NIH Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented
Research (K24) enables Dr. Lum to: 1) mentor junior clinical investigators in dementia care research, and 2)
enhance the science of community-engaged research and co-design methods involving persons affected by
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Dr. Lum is a geriatrician, palliative medicine physician,
and prior Beeson Scholar with an independent ADRD research program, ADRD team-science collaborations, a
national reputation in ADRD palliative care research, and a strong record of grants and publications.
Mentorship: Over the last decade, Dr. Lum has mentored more than 30 residents, fellows, and junior clinical
investigators in geriatrics, palliative care, neurology, and other patient-oriented aging disciplines. She has
research mentorship leadership roles including serving as Co-Director of the NIA T32 Multidisciplinary
Palliative Care in Aging Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program and Associate Director of the NCATS Clinical
Faculty Scholars Program at the University of Colorado. Her mentoring objectives are to increase the pipeline
of ADRD and geriatric investigators who progress to independence, and to lead institutional and national
ADRD and geriatric patient-oriented research mentorship programs.
Research theme: Dr. Lum's research integrates community-engaged research and co-design methods into
real-world intervention design, testing, and implementation to improve care for persons living with dementia
and family care partners. Community-engaged research is the process of working collaboratively with patients
and others during conceptualization, conduct, and dissemination of research. Co-design methods, focusing on
developing interventions, are part of community engaged research. As an example of community-engaged
research in ADRD, Dr. Lum convened a “Memory Tech Council” of patients, care partners, and community
members to identify priorities for use of consumer health information technology embedded in the health
system to improve dementia care. This K24 proposal will provide Dr. Lum with protected time to advance the
science of engagement in ADRD by focusing on: 1) expanding capacity for junior investigators to integrate
engagement methods into their ADRD research; 2) identifying community-engaged research methods for
partnering with persons living with dementia and care partners; and 3) organizing co-design tools for dementia
care interventions into a new online resource for dementia care researchers.
Impact: Through this K24 award, Dr. Lum will enhance the science of engagement in ADRD, enhance her
mentorship through current and new research mentorship roles at University of Colorado and nationally, and
enhance the field through a pipeline of clinical investigators in ADRD and patient-oriented aging research.