Five Primary Care Grant Recipients Selected to Implement GSA KAER Framework

The Gerontological Society of America, in partnership with Lilly, has named five institutional recipients for the Implementing KAER Brain Health Framework in Primary Care Healthcare Improvement Grants. This joint initiative is structured to advance the diagnosis, evaluation, and overall care of individuals living with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease directly within primary care environments. Selected through a competitive application process, the newly announced projects seek to address existing care gaps, strengthen clinical coordination, and establish actionable pathways for earlier cognitive decline detection.

Central to each funded initiative is the operationalization of the GSA KAER framework, which outlines four progressive clinical steps for medical teams. These stages require practitioners to kickstart a brain health conversation, assess for cognitive impairment, evaluate for dementia, and refer patients to relevant community resources. By embedding this standardized four-step model into everyday clinical workflows, the program aims to equip primary care teams with systematic procedures that foster brain health awareness while supporting prompt, accurate diagnostic evaluations.

The push to translate the KAER guidelines into frontline practice responds to widespread obstacles that frequently delay the identification of cognitive impairment. According to GSA Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Practice Innovation Lisa McGuire, PhD, FGSA, primary care clinicians face persistent day-to-day challenges, including constrained time and resources, divergent levels of clinical training and diagnostic confidence regarding Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, logistical friction when navigating referrals to specialists and community networks, and difficulties broaching sensitive conversations about cognitive changes with patients and their care partners.

McGuire underscored that the awardees’ initiatives reflect an expanding dedication across clinical practices to prioritize timely identification and supportive care for individuals affected by dementia. Implementing the KAER model presents these healthcare organizations with structured opportunities to fortify existing care pathways, offer comprehensive assistance to patients alongside their family care partners, and facilitate proactive clinical interventions before cognitive conditions progress without medical oversight.

The grant cohort includes focused demonstration projects across five major medical institutions. At Emory University School of Medicine, co-principal investigators Dr. Sara Turbow and Dr. Ambar Kulshreshtha are leading a pilot study examining cognitive screening strategies tailored specifically for adults presenting with cardiovascular disease. At Johns Hopkins University, co-principal investigators Dr. Jennifer Wolff and Dr. Maura McGuire are investigating mechanisms to leverage Medicare reimbursement policies in order to sustainably advance and support KAER brain health activities in routine practice.

Co-principal investigators Dr. Elisabeth Askin and Dr. Leah Karliner at the University of California, San Francisco, are establishing an integrated KAER pathway targeting enhanced dementia detection, formal diagnosis, and specialist referrals. At the University of Connecticut Health Center, co-principal investigators Dr. Lisa C. Barry, Dr. Karina Berg, and Dr. Richard Fortinsky are working to advance systematic assessment and longitudinal care, while at Wayne State University School of Medicine, principal investigator Dr. Anupama Devara is directing a multi-factorial improvement initiative centered on training primary care physicians.

Over the designated 18-month performance period, participating teams will apply the KAER framework to pinpoint specific practice gaps and underlying root causes within their healthcare networks. Each project is tasked with executing and assessing measurable strategies designed to optimize cognitive assessments, enhance physician communication, refine diagnostic workups, and ensure timely connections to local supportive services. The resulting data will be evaluated to determine measurable outcomes for patients, families, and primary care delivery systems.

The grant initiative formally commenced in conjunction with the GSA 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting during a dedicated pre-conference workshop. In that session, project leaders engaged with nationally recognized faculty to review implementation science strategies and obtain operational guidance for embedding evidence-based cognitive protocols into diverse primary care workflows. Supported by the Gerontological Society of America, an interdisciplinary aging organization founded in 1945 serving more than 6,800 members across more than 50 nations, the program embodies a shared commitment with Lilly to foster person-centered quality improvement in Alzheimer’s disease care.

As the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging, the Gerontological Society of America is guided by its vision of meaningful lives as we age. This vision is supported by the organization’s mission to foster excellence, innovation, and collaboration to advance aging research, education, practice, and policy. In addition, the society serves as home to the National Academy on an Aging Society, which operates as a nonpartisan public policy institute, and the National Center to Reframe Aging.

Subject of Research: Primary care implementation of the GSA KAER Brain Health Framework for dementia and cognitive impairment

Article Title: Grantees will advance Alzheimer’s care using GSA KAER Framework in primary care settings

Article References: Grantees will advance Alzheimer’s care using GSA KAER Framework in primary care settings. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

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Keywords: Gerontological Society of America, KAER framework, Alzheimer's disease, primary care, mild cognitive impairment, brain health, cognitive assessment, dementia diagnosis, healthcare improvement grants, Lilly, Emory University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, University of California San Francisco, University of Connecticut Health Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, physician training, Medicare reimbursement