Research and Mentoring Program in Improving Access to Incontinence Care for Older Adults

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PROJECT SUMMARY This application for a K24 Midcareer Investigator Award will promote Dr. Alayne Markland’s mentoring and career development in patient-oriented research on lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary incontinence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Markland is a geriatrician and clinician investigator dedicated to advancing evidence on the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of bladder and bowel symptoms for older women and men. With funding from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, she leads a nationally recognized, patient-oriented research program that emphasizes improving access to care models, as well as improving knowledge on shared risk factors underlying aging-associated genitourinary dysfunction. Her work focuses on the intersection of common aging syndromes, such as depression and functional status, with lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence. To date, she has created new models of care for women and men, improved patient-reported outcome measures used in clinical care and research and provided evidence to guide national and international guidelines on the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence. She has also emerged as a successful mentor of early-stage clinical investigators who have published high-impact research, obtained NIH and VA-funded awards, and continues to improve patient-oriented research focused on behavioral interventions. With award support, Dr. Markland plans to expand and refine her mentoring skills through didactics and focused training, and to continue mentoring her current early-stage trainees and recruit new trainees with a focus on female trainees from diverse backgrounds. All trainees will be provided with educational and research experiences tailored to their career stage and interests. With award support, Dr. Markland’s research program will be augmented through a newly funded clinical trial addressing the use of mobile health platforms to deliver behavioral treatments for lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence care, which will provide new opportunities for mentoring trainees, collaborations, and future funding. The Aim of New Study 1 is: Identify mechanisms by which behaviorally based mobile health platforms improve lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence severity. The Aim of New Study 2 is: Define barriers and facilitators for using mobile health technology for improving lower urinary tract symptoms and incontinence severity. The Aim of New Study 3 is: Determine effective, feasible candidate components for future mobile health interventions. The long-term goal of Dr. Markland’s research and career is two-fold: 1) to become a leader of behaviorally-based treatment interventions with digital health platforms, and 2) to enhance skills as a mentor of patient-oriented research — particularly for women and minority mentees. Through this award and the new research studied proposed, Dr. Markland will support high-quality mentees with the potential to become leaders in patient-oriented research related to aging and lower urinary tract symptoms/incontinence.