# Mentoring Researchers on Clinical Communication With Diverse Aging Populations

> **NIH NIH K24** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · $188,616

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: The aims of this proposal are to (1) further develop the candidate’s expertise in aging research
and her skills and capacity as a mentor in order to improve her ability to mentor clinician investigators who
study aging issues in diverse populations, and (2) build on the strengths of the candidate’s research program
focused on clinical communication, language barriers and health outcomes for older patients in primary care to
examine the impact of family caregiver presence at visits, as well as the experiences and preferences of
patients and caregivers for caregiver engagement in primary care. The candidate is a General Internist and
Health Services Researcher committed to a career in health equity and patient-oriented research, and to
mentoring the next generation of clinical investigators. The candidate has developed an independent research
program to include multiple linked topic areas relevant to aging research: language barriers and access to
professional interpreters, breast cancer diagnosis and communication, and evidence-based treatment of
chronic kidney disease in primary care. These areas are unified by a focus on generation and implementation
of evidence to advance health care quality, equity, and communication for diverse older adults. She is
internationally recognized as an expert on language barriers and interpreter access. The candidate has
previously received R01 funding from the National Institute on Aging studying Chinese and Spanish speaking
hospitalized older adults as well as their caregivers, and R21 funding from the National Cancer Institute to
investigate women and primary care physicians’ perspectives on systems and communication barriers to timely
follow-up of abnormal mammograms. She currently is PI on a Patient Centered Outcomes Research grant to
evaluate the impact of improved language access on older patients’ communication and clinical outcomes in a
primary care setting, and co-PI on a NIDDK R18 focused on guideline concordant CKD treatment in primary
care. The candidate has been an active mentor throughout her career. Her commitment to mentoring is
demonstrated by her new role as Director of the Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (CADC), which she
took over in 2017. CADC is an NIA funded Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) focused on
elucidating mechanisms in health disparities research and developing and evaluating interventions to eliminate
those disparities. As a Center its most important mission is to train and mentor to independence junior
underrepresented investigators in health disparities and aging issues. With the aging of the population as a
whole, and of minority communities which suffer from health disparities, it is important to bring together health
disparities and aging research; the candidate is the ideal clinical investigator to bridge these two research
worlds. This proposal would enable the candidate to obtain additional training to enhance her aging research
and ment...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10127448
- **Project number:** 1K24AG067003-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** LEAH S KARLINER
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $188,616
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-15 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10127448

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10127448, Mentoring Researchers on Clinical Communication With Diverse Aging Populations (1K24AG067003-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10127448. Licensed CC0.

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