Dr. Najafi Awarded $2.7M in Funding for Collaborative Study to Support Dementia Patients

Dr. Bijan Najafi, professor of surgery and clinical director of research in the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, has been awarded $2.7M for an NIH Fast Track SBIR grant called “Care4AD: A Comprehensive Care Coordination and Management Platform for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias - R44 AG066360-01A1.” The funds will be awarded over a period of three years to develop and commercialize a care coordination device to support dementia patients in their own home, where they are most comfortable.  

The project is an interdisciplinary collaborative study between Biosensics, LLC and Baylor College of Medicine Departments of Surgery, Medicine, Neurology, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Science along with IQuesT-VA. The key investigators are Dr. Aanand Naik, professor and section chief of Medicine-Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Mark Kunik, professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Baylor College of Medicine, and  Dr. Michele York, professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences and head of Neuropsychology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dementia, a chronic disease of aging, is characterized by progressive cognitive decline that interferes with independent functioning. The medical, psychological, social, and functional sequelae of dementia cause great stress to patients, their caregivers, and their family. This study will provide home-based care coordination and management platform to help caregivers effectively coordinate, manage, and improve dementia care.