March 2, 2026
Basking in the Glow of the Foundation's Sponsored Research Program
By Barbara J. Zarowitz, PharmD, MSW, BCPS, BCGP, FASCP
Since 2022, the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine has supported a research grant program awarding funding to the “best” proposals. Five stellar projects were selected between 2022 and 2025 following a rigorous process of review by a committee of experts. The Grant Committee applies high standards of evaluation consistent with those of the National Institute of Health, making the contest for funding highly competitive. Research proposals have been funded by the Foundation through the generous donations of members, corporate partners, and additional individual donors, including grateful patients.
The rigor and focus on excellence have paid off. Projects have resulted in 10 presentations at regional and national meetings of organizations such as PALTmed and the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), federal testimony, four publications in peer-reviewed journals, and the award of a large research grant from the National Institute on Aging.
Brian McGarry, PhD, and Ashin Gandhi, MD, studied the impact of indoor air quality in U.S. nursing homes on COVID-19 outbreaks and found that, while benefits were mixed, nursing facilities that installed HVAC systems had 3.4 fewer resident cases of COVID per 100 beds, reflecting a 12.1% reduction in incidence. This work was presented to the White House COVID Response Team in December 2022 and at several national and regional conferences. The Foundation for PALTC Medicine funding supported the collection of preliminary data that motivated the development of a grant subsequently funded by the National Institute on Aging. The results of that grant, “The Effects of Declining Nursing Home Capacity on Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Access and Health Outcomes among Older Adults and their Caregivers,” were published this year.1
In collaboration with David Grabowski, PhD, Dr. McGarry studied the impact of California Law AB749 on Certified Medical Directors (CMD) in nursing homes and found that in the years following a CMD starting in the facility, hospitalizations among short-stay residents declined by approximately 3% and 2% among all nursing home residents each year. These impactful results were presented at the PALTmed and AGS annual conferences and are pending publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.2
Charles Semelka, MD, and his team from Wake Forest University, who studied post-acute care utilization patterns and outcomes in frail older adults, found that among nearly 24,000 hospital discharges, patients with frailty had higher 30-day mortality and 30-day readmission rates compared to non-frail individuals. Discharge to a SNF posed a high risk for short-term mortality, indicating the need to differentiate these frail individuals to deploy appropriate interventions. Frailty assessment at hospital discharge provided high clinical value in determining patients at risk of poor outcomes.3,4
Sarah Holmes, PhD, evaluated the effectiveness of optimizing meaningful activity as a strategy to reduce sedentary behavior in residents with dementia in assisted living (AL) facilities. She found that the meaningful activity intervention was feasible to implement in AL and resulted in a significant decrease in behavioral symptoms while producing non-significant trends of decreased time spent sedentary. Dr. Holmes is presenting her results at PALTC26 in Anaheim, CA.
The most recent grant recipient was Rachel McPherson, PhD, MA, for a study entitled, Pilot Testing the Fostering Positive Care Interactions in Assisted Living (FCPI-AL).
The impactful results from Foundation-sponsored projects have contributed clinically important findings that our members can apply to improve patient safety and quality of care in PALTC settings. These clinician/researchers are to be commended for their work.
This year, the deadline for interested investigators to submit a letter of intent to apply for a research grant through the Foundation is April 13. The Foundation has focused on attracting additional support for research and is pleased to announce that three grants are being offered in 2026:
- Parkinson’s Disease in Long-Term Care Residents, philanthropically supported by Acadia Pharmaceutical
- Tardive Dyskinesia in Long-Term Care Residents, philanthropically supported by Neurocrine Bioscience
- Foundation for PALTC Medicine (unspecified condition)
The submission process is the same for all three grants and is outlined on the Foundation website.
Cari Levy, MD, PhD, CMD, the chair of the Foundation for PALTC Medicine, states, “It is an honor for the Foundation to continue to support the high-impact work of investigators invested in improving the quality of care in our community of older adults. We look forward to receiving an increasing number of high-quality research proposals during our 2026 funding cycle.”
Barbara J. Zarowitz is editor-in-chief of Caring for the Ages and a member of the Foundation Board of Directors.
References
- McGarry BE, Wilcock AD, Gandhi A, et al. Changes in US skilled nursing facility capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic, JAMA Int Med 2026. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7197
- McGarry BE, Grabowski D. The effect of medical directors on nursing home quality: Evidence from certified medical director hires. JAGS 2026; accepted for publication.
- Semelka CT, White BN, Callahan K, Pajewski NM. The association of frailty with post-hospital discharge location and health outcomes. JAGS 2025; 73(11):3512-3518. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70034
- Lippert WC, Callahan KE, White BN, Frechman EL, Semelka CT. Hospitalist and SNFist clinician perspectives on frailty assessment of rehab patients. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 Nov; 40(15):3808-3811. doi: 10.1007/s11606-025-09605-4.