Grantees Will Advance Alzheimer’s Care Using GSA KAER Framework in Primary Care Settings
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), in partnership with Lilly, is honored to announce five recipients of the Implementing KAER Brain Health Framework in Primary Care Healthcare Improvement Grants. This initiative is designed to improve the diagnosis, evaluation, and care of people living with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease in primary care settings.
The grant recipients will implement the four steps of the GSA KAER framework — kickstart a brain health conversation, assess for cognitive impairment, evaluate for dementia, and refer to community resources — with their primary care teams to promote brain health and support earlier detection and diagnosis.
The grant recipients are:
- Emory University School of Medicine
Co-Principal Investigators (PIs): Drs. Sara Turbow and Ambar Kulshreshtha
Implementing KAER Brain Health in Primary Care: A Pilot Study of Cognitive Screening Strategies for Adults with Cardiovascular Disease
- Johns Hopkins University
Co-PIs: Drs. Jennifer Wolff and Maura McGuire
Leveraging Medicare Reimbursement to Advance the KAER Brain Health Framework
- University of California, San Francisco
Co-PIs: Drs. Elisabeth Askin and Leah Karliner
Improving Dementia, Detection, Diagnosis, and Referral in Primary Care: an Integrated KAER Implementation Pathway
- University of Connecticut Health Center
Co-PIs: Drs. Lisa C. Barry, Karina Berg, and Richard Fortinsky
Advancing Brain Health Assessment and Care Through the KAER Framework
- Wayne State University School of Medicine
PI: Dr. Anupama Devara
Multi-factorial focus for Health Care Improvement in Alzheimer's: Training Primary Care Physicians
“These projects reflect a growing commitment among primary care practices to improve the timely recognition and care of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said GSA Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Practice Innovation Lisa McGuire, PhD, FGSA. “By implementing the KAER framework, these organizations have the opportunity to strengthen care pathways, support patients and care partners, and advance earlier diagnosis and intervention.”
McGuire added that early detection and diagnosis of dementia often are delayed because primary care teams face persistent barriers, including limited time and resources, varying levels of training and confidence in diagnosing and managing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, challenges connecting patients with specialists and support services, and difficulty initiating conversations about cognitive changes with patients and care partners.
Through this grant program, awardees will use the KAER framework to identify practice gaps and root causes, implement measurable strategies to improve brain health conversations, cognitive assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and referrals, and help primary care teams support more timely and accurate diagnosis and care.
Selected through a competitive application process, the projects represent innovative approaches to identifying care gaps, improving coordination, and supporting earlier recognition and diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Over the next 18 months, awardees will implement and evaluate measurable strategies from the KAER framework to improve outcomes for patients, families, and healthcare systems.
The grant program launched in conjunction with the GSA 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting in a pre-conference workshop. Grant recipients learned from nationally recognized faculty about KAER framework implementation, including strategies to improve brain health conversations, cognitive assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and referral to community resources, while receiving practical guidance on integrating evidence-based approaches into primary care practice.
The Implementing KAER Brain Health Framework in Primary Care Healthcare Improvement Grants program reflects the shared commitment of GSA and Lilly to implement strategies that advance quality improvement supporting timely diagnosis and person-centered Alzheimer’s disease care.
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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1945, is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging. It serves more than 6,800 members in over 50 countries. GSA’s vision, meaningful lives as we age, is supported by its mission to foster excellence, innovation, and collaboration to advance aging research, education, practice, and policy. GSA is home to the National Academy on an Aging Society (a nonpartisan public policy institute) and the National Center to Reframe Aging.