Supplement to Effectiveness of the On the Move group exercise program to improve mobility in community-dwelling older adults

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Effectiveness of the On the Move group exercise program to improve mobility in community-dwelling older adults Gardenia Juarez, a first-generation Hispanic/Latina woman, is a promising rehabilitation science graduate student who is interested in pursuing a career in aging and implementation science research. Supplemental activities will focus on Ms. Juarez’s research and career development. These activities will occur under the mentorship of Jennifer Brach, PhD, PT, FAPTA, a successful aging and rehabilitation science research mentor and Principal Investigator of the parent study. The research and career development aims are strongly linked with the activities in the parent grant and supported by the infrastructure and resources of Dr. Brach’s research laboratory and her ongoing work with the On the Move (OTM) evidence-based exercise program. The aims of Ms. Juarez’s supplemental research project are to 1) identify organizational contextual determinants (barriers and facilitators) to the adoption of OTM and 2) examine the associations of organizational contextual determinants to the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of implementing OTM. Ms. Juarez will obtain robust experience by being a part of a multi-disciplinary research team conducting a large cluster-randomized trial. She will interact with all study investigators (Drs. Beach, Freburger and Weiner) and participate in all research team meetings. Specifically, she will participate in the identification of measures of organizational contextual determinants, recruit and enroll organizations into the study, assist in the interviews and focus groups (including non-adopter organizations), participate in the coding and analyses of qualitative data, and interpretation of the findings. This project will serve as Ms. Juarez’s doctoral dissertation with Dr. Brach as the chair of her doctoral committee. She will work with Dr. Brach and her dissertation committee to disseminate her findings at an appropriate scientific meeting and through peer-reviewed publications. Ms. Juarez’s career development plan allows her to acquire advanced knowledge in the areas of aging, health promotion, and implementation science and the necessary skills for a career conducting community-based research. Career development goals to be accomplished through Ms. Juarez’s graduate training and supported by this supplement include: 1) develop knowledge of aging and health promotion; 2) develop knowledge of implementation science principles; 3) acquire skills in designing and conducting clinical trials; 4) acquire skills in qualitative methodologies; and 5) develop leadership and professional skills important for academia. We anticipate that at the end of this career development plan, Ms. Juarez will have the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue the next phase of scientific training, a post-doctoral fellowship in implementation science or a career as a junior faculty member.