# Improving Post-Diagnosis Dementia Care in Primary Care

> **NIH NIH K23** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $198,152

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Dr. Halima Amjad is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and practicing geriatrician with clinical
expertise in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Her long-term career goal is to become a leader in patient-oriented research that informs and improves
medical care for older adults with dementia through the development and implementation of care delivery
interventions in clinical practice. This award will ensure she has the knowledge, skills, and experience to
develop effective interventions, lead clinical trials, and translate research findings into routine clinical care. The
career development plan proposes five years of informal and formal training in mixed methods research,
intervention development and testing including clinical trials, and implementation science focused on
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Dr. Amjad has convened an outstanding mentorship team with
expertise in the relevant research methods, dementia care, primary care, and care for complex older adults.
The proposal will take place in a rich scientific environment with the resources necessary to support her
research, career development, and transition to independent clinical investigation.
 Despite the growing burden of dementia on patients, families, and health systems, the majority of older
adults with dementia receive suboptimal care for dementia after diagnosis. Clinical practice guidelines for
dementia care are available, but are not widely known or consistently followed. Recent health systems
changes, including new Medicare reimbursement mechanisms and uptake of electronic medical records
(EMRs), present opportunities to improve post-diagnosis care for dementia in busy primary care settings. The
proposal leverages these opportunities to address the complex challenges of clinical practice transformation
and linking diagnosis to timely, high quality dementia care. Aims 1 and 2 use a mixed methods approach
(primary care provider and multidisciplinary staff surveys and interviews, patient and family interviews) to
understand barriers and facilitators to post-diagnosis dementia care, key stakeholder perspectives on essential
components and strategies for dementia care, and perceived feasibility of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary
post-diagnosis dementia care intervention. Results will inform the adaptation of an intervention centered
around a structured post-diagnosis dementia care visit in primary care in Aim 3. Implementation will leverage
EMRs and Medicare reimbursement for dementia care to bring dementia-related assessment and support tools
to primary care. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention will be tested in one primary care clinic, laying
the groundwork for a future multisite pragmatic randomized controlled trial to assess intervention effectiveness
in improving quality of care and patient outcomes. The proposal addresses a significant challenge (dementia
care) in an impor...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9976006
- **Project number:** 1K23AG064036-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Halima Amjad
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $198,152
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-15 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9976006

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9976006, Improving Post-Diagnosis Dementia Care in Primary Care (1K23AG064036-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9976006. Licensed CC0.

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