# My Healthy Brain: a mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention to modify early risk of dementia in older adults

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $191,821

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
In this K23, I (Dr. Ryan Mace) will acquire training in mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention development for the
prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). I am a clinical health psychologist at Massachusetts
General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, with a strong research background in the cognitive underpinnings
of mental health and aging. My long-term goal is to become an independent investigator and leading developer of
technology-enhanced behavioral interventions, from pilot testing to implementation, for the large-scale promotion of
healthier lifestyles with aging. Through this K23 project, and the rich multidisciplinary training environment at MGH, I
will achieve the following Training Goals: 1) identify implementation barriers using qualitative methods with medical
stakeholders; 2) optimize lifestyle and mindfulness-based interventions for specific aging populations; 3) conduct rigorous
technology-enhanced clinical trials; and 4) collect and analyze mobile health data on lifestyle behavior change. To achieve
these goals, I have assembled an exemplary mentorship team led by my primary mentor, Dr. Ana-Maria Vranceanu, a
clinical health psychologist and a leader in live video mind-body intervention development; co-mentor, Dr. Christine
Ritchie, a geriatrician and palliative care physician with decades of research on improving the detection and treatment of
ADRD; advisor, Dr. Stephen Bartels, a geriatric psychiatrist and national expert in implementation science; advisor, Dr.
Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist internationally renowned for app-based mindfulness programs for
behavior change; advisor, Dr. Olivia Okereke, a geriatric psychiatrist specializing in modifiable lifestyle risk factors of
ADRD; and advisor, Dr. Bettina Hoeppner, an experimental psychologist with expertise in statistics and longitudinal
modeling of mobile health data. This proposal logically builds on my prior work co-developing My Healthy Brain (MHB)
– the first mindfulness-based lifestyle program to modify ADRD risk factors in older adults with subjective cognitive
decline (SCD). SCD is a critical window for ADRD prevention, while cognitive symptoms are at the earliest stage, yet
prior trials targeting multiple lifestyle factors have shown limited adherence, are time-intensive, and failed to produce
behavior change. In contrast, MHB 1) teaches mindfulness skills to improve lifestyles; 2) uses mobile health technologies
(ActiGraph watches, smartphone app) to assess and reinforce behaviors; and 3) is delivered via live video. For Aim 1, I
will conduct live video focus groups with medical stakeholders (N = 20) using elements from Proctor’s implementation
framework to
address barriers to efficient referrals, develop participant engagement strategies, and optimize study
procedures. For Aim 2, I will establish — via a live video pilot RCT in older adults (age ≥ 60) with SCD and ADRD risk
factors — the feasibilit...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10885108
- **Project number:** 5K23AG075257-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ryan Andrew Mace
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $191,821
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10885108

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10885108, My Healthy Brain: a mindfulness-based lifestyle intervention to modify early risk of dementia in older adults (5K23AG075257-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10885108. Licensed CC0.

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