The Outstanding Junior Research Manuscript Award is targeted to clinician-educator junior faculty (Assistant Professor/Instructor) in the development stages of their careers. The junior investigator must be first author on an outstanding peer-reviewed geriatrics research journal article. Selection of award winners will be based on the novelty, methodological rigor, clarity of presentation, and potential to influence geriatrics practice, policy, or future research when considering the candidate’s article. Papers that were published between September 1 and August 31 of the previous year are eligible for consideration.
2023 Recipient: Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, MSN
Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, MSN is honored this year for her study, “A national study of disenrollment from hospice among people with dementia”, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in October 2022. Dr. Hunt’s observational study of over 800,000 people with dementia enrolled in the Medicare Hospice Benefit found substantially higher rates of hospice disenrollment associated with patient characteristics including minoritized race, gender, and age. These findings raise important questions about whether and how the Medicare Hospice Benefit could be adapted to reduce disparities and better support the growing number of people dying with dementia. Dr. Hunt’s study also found substantial variation in hospice agency disenrollment rates, highlighting growing concerns about a hospice industry that is increasingly shifting from non-profit, mission-driven organizations to for-profit, corporate organizations. The publication, funded by a National Institute on Aging Beeson K76 Award, exemplifies Dr. Hunt’s research goal to build an evidence base to drive policies and care model delivery to ensure that older adults, especially those with dementia, receive the best possible care as they approach the end of life. A PhD-trained hospice and palliative care nurse-researcher and Assistant Professor of Physiological Nursing at the UCSF School of Nursing, Dr. Hunt is celebrated for her important contributions to our understanding of hospice use and quality for people with and without dementia.
Past Recipients of the Outstanding Junior Research Manuscript Award
2022 Claire Ankuda, MD, MPH, MSc
2021 Jennifer Watt, MD, PhD
2020 Anil Makam, MD, MAS
2019 Victoria Tang, MD, MAS
2018 Benjamin Han, MD, MPH
2017 Halima Amjad, MD, MPH
2016 Rebecca Brown, MD, MPH
2015 Helena M. Blumen, PhD
2014 S. Ryan Greysen
2013 Jane Saczynski, PhD