September marks World Alzheimer’s Month and Healthy Aging Month—a pairing that emphasizes both the perils and promise of aging as a process that blends loss and enrichment. RLA is proud to support research that seeks to shift this balance and improve the well-being of older adults by enhancing longevity, identifying and addressing mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), and promoting healthy and independent aging at home.
| | Meetings, writing, and arithmetic | |
This September, we are excited to share a windfall of activity among RLA-supported projects, including many with the potential to redefine the experience of aging for millions of older adults worldwide.
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Launch of the second annual a2 Pilot Awards, a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded competition for pilot projects that leverage artificial intelligence and emerging technology to improve care and health outcomes for older Americans. As the a2 Collective Coordinating Center, RLA introduced a two-round application process for the second year of competition that allows a wide pool of innovators to pitch technology demonstration projects for potential funding. We will be hosting an exhibit booth (#212) at the annual scientific meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Indianapolis in November to meet with potential applicants interested in applying in 2023 for pilot project funding of up to $200,000 in direct costs!
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Completion of a National Asian American/Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship survey of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander business owners in California and Texas. The survey sought to quantify impacts of COVID-19 on revenue and staffing, overall business confidence, and experiences of racism in the past year.
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Logistics and writing support of meetings for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health that engaged with key stakeholder perspectives, including White House listening sessions on hunger, nutrition, and health and Office of Regional Health Operations listening sessions with LGBTQIAP2+ community members.
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Support of NIA Division of Behavioral and Social Research workshops focusing on gaps and opportunities for using real-world data sources in aging and AD/ADRD research and on the impact of death and dying on health, well-being, and clinical care across the lifespan, as well as a series of hybrid seminars in which National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine experts provided NIA BSR with guidance on topics including the economics of care and the impacts of climate change on the health of older adults.
In addition to these project milestones, we are excited to announce the reappointment of RLA President and CEO, Dr. Rose Li, as Chair of the Maryland Commission on Aging by Governor Larry Hogan. Dr. Li has been a member of the Commission since May 2015 and has served as Chair since September 2016.
| | RLA remembers Dr. James P. Smith | |
RLA mourns the loss of Dr. James P. Smith on Aug. 4, 2022. Dr. Smith was a renowned economist who helped to create the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and published widely on topics ranging from education to immigration to wealth inequality. He joined RLA as a Senior Research Associate in 2020 and continued to publish on the economic status and health outcomes of older adults worldwide. Dr. Smith’s research and his contributions to the HRS international family of longitudinal aging studies represent a legacy whose impact continues to resound in the field of aging research. Read Dr. Smith’s full obituary and a selection of tributes from his colleagues throughout the HRS network.
| | Fostering collaboration in AD/ADRD research from near and far | | Supporting healthy aging at home for all | |
RLA recently provided editorial support to the University of Southern California (USC) Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics in the development of a feature article on three studies conducted by researchers affiliated with USC’s Minority Aging Health Economics Research Center (USC-AD RCMAR) and the Center for Advancing Sociodemographic and Economic Study of Alzheimer’s Disease (CeASES ADRD). The piece, “The Unequal Causes and Costs of Dementia,” synthesizes research findings to reveal the compounded impact of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and educational disparities on dementia risk and years lived with a dementia diagnosis—which in turn has a cascading economic impact due to the cost of care for people living with dementia. These contributions from USC-AD RCMAR and CeASES ADRD researchers emphasize the potential of healthy aging efforts to reduce linked disparities in health outcomes and socioeconomic status.
| | A note to our federal clients | |
The end of the federal fiscal year is less than 30 days away, and funds may be available for obligation before they expire on Sept. 30, 2022. RLA stands ready to help our research-focused clients invest in programs that move science forward. As an 8(a), EDWOSB, SDB, and WOSB, we work with agencies to apply maximum value and scientific expertise to meet set-aside goals. We can provide quick and responsive proposals for set-asides and direct awards, as well as through any of our available vehicles, including our GSA Schedule 47QRAA19D00D7 and our newly awarded Best-in-Class 8(a) Streamlined Technology Acquisition Resource for Services III (STARS III) Governmentwide Acquisition Contract.
| | Growing better with age: RLA is expanding our team and facilities | |
As RLA prepares to celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2023, the numbers of clients and projects we support—and the expert staff who drive that work while ensuring quality and rigor—continue to expand. We are excited to announce we have moved to a new, larger office space in Chevy Chase, MD, that allows our team to better collaborate while serving our clients in virtual, hybrid, and in-person formats. Find our new address below and see RLA’s current job openings for opportunities to join our growing team. We are seeking Research Project Coordinators, Science Writers, Copyeditors, and AV & Technology Coordinators to further enhance our capacity to support a range of varied clients in moving science forward.
| | RLA on LinkedIn and Twitter | |
Follow RLA on LinkedIn and Twitter! We post about health- and science-related topics that inspire us—and we hope they inspire you, too. Please like, share, and let us know what science is catching your attention today!
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