# Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth (AGING) Initiative

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2022 · $706,040

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN)-Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs)
AGING (Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth) Initiative, funded under an R24 grant
mechanism (R24 AG045050), was initiated in 2014 to foster collaborations between HCSRN and OAIC (aka
Pepper Centers) investigators in order to advance an interdisciplinary research agenda focused on advancing
the science of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) in older adults. The AGING Initiative is a highly productive,
collaborative, transdisciplinary endeavor involving scientists from 18 HCSRN research centers, embedded
within healthcare delivery systems caring for nearly 2 million persons aged 65 and older, in partnership with
investigators from 15 premier, university-based centers established by the National Institute on Aging (the
OAICs). Under the R24, efforts relevant to advancing MCCs science have centered around: (1) characterizing
and sharing unique data resources; (2) supporting innovative, collaborative pilot projects; (3) mentoring new
and early-stage investigators; and (4) disseminating research methods and findings. This collaboration has
identified several understudied, high priority research domains, as well as an urgent need for formal career
development support for new and early-stage scientists committed to aging research on etiology, prevention,
and treatment, relevant to the care of older persons with MCCs. The overarching aim of our expanded R33
program, conceived and developed by the R24 HCSRN-OAICs AGING Initiative Steering Committee, and its
Workgroups and External Advisory Committee, is to elaborate on the successful programs and infrastructure of
the R24, while taking our AGING Initiative in new, more ambitious directions. We will create new core
resources, career development opportunities, and funding opportunities, aligning patients' interests with those
of scientists. Our specific aims are: (1) to expand on and further develop innovative methods related to
measurement and analytics, observational research, and pragmatic clinical trial design and implementation, to
inform the development and testing of novel interventions that improve the care and outcomes of older persons
with MCCs; (2) to foster the career development and success of new and early-stage investigators, including
underrepresented minorities, and create a nation-wide cohort of MCCs scholars, who are prepared to establish
productive collaborations early in their careers to catalyze an expansion of interdisciplinary research relevant to
the science of MCCs; (3) to create a new core function as part of an elaborated infrastructure that promotes
patient-centered research by engaging patients and care partners in all stages of the research process; and
(4) to fund a series of “P-2-R” (“Pilot-to-R award”) grants that will advance the R33 research priorities relevant
to the science of MCCs. The “P-2-R” grants will serve to promote the develop...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10401427
- **Project number:** 5R33AG057806-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** JERRY H GURWITZ
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $706,040
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10401427

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10401427, Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure & Network Growth (AGING) Initiative (5R33AG057806-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10401427. Licensed CC0.

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