Brianna Morgan, PhD, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN

How did you first find out about Clin-STAR’s research development grant program?

I learned about the Clin-STAR from my Co-Mentor, Dr. Ab Brody. His past mentee, Dr. Becca Lassell received a Clin-STAR research development grant, which helped provide essential training and research support to launch her research program co-designing green-space interventions for persons living with dementia. After hearing Dr. Lassell describe Clin-STAR's immense support and incredible network, I was immediately drawn to be part of the Clin-STAR milieu.

What inspired you to pursue aging research and how does your perspective as a non-geriatrician specialist contribute to your research activity?

My maternal grandmother – Helen to most, Nana to me – has been my inspiration for pursuing a career in gerontological nursing. Nana, until the age of 102, lived her life with joy, generosity, poise, independence, and fabulous shoes. I am forever grateful to her for introducing me to art, science, and an enduring appetite for learning.

I always knew I wanted to pursue aging research, but I didn't have a perspective for my research questions until I found nursing. The nursing paradigm is wholistic, focusing on the person before addressing illness. Nursing is what allowed me to look past the alphabet soup of my patient's diagnosis lists and notice their strengths. I feel that a nursing perspective paired with rigorous scientific methods can help to expand how we characterize and support older adults' well-being while living with serious illnesses.

In your view, what does Clin-STAR mean to the field and what does it mean for you to receive a Clin-STAR grant now?

Clin-STAR symbolizes a commitment to training and supporting scientists across clinical disciplines. While nurses represent the largest clinical practice discipline, they are not equally represented in research. Less than 1% of the nursing workforce holds a PhD, and enrollment in PhD programs has declined despite the growing need for nurse scientists. Lack of funding and leadership opportunities for nurses contributes to this shortage. Programs like Clin-STAR are hugely important for the field of nursing science. I am honored to receive a Clin-STAR grant to support my research, provide exceptional mentorship, and expand my network and training opportunities.

What’s exciting about your research’s potential impact to your career, field, and patients?

I constantly hear from patients and families impacted by dementia that they wish healthcare had more to offer them. The field has had a number of incredibly biological and policy breakthroughs with FDA approval of anti-amyloid therapies and the launch of the GUIDE model. Yet, there is still a lot of work to be done to provide scalable, accessible, and comprehensive supportive care for persons living with dementia and their care partners. I am excited to see research in this area continue to grow and capitalize on the momentum in the field.

How do you plan to collaborate with your mentor or co-investigators on this project?

My primary mentor, Dr. Joshua Chodosh, and co-mentor, Dr. Ab Brody, have been essential mentors for me through my postdoctoral fellowship. As I transition toward more independence, Drs. Chodosh and Brody will continue to guide me in executing the proposed project supported by the Clin-STAR award. They provide a wealth of research and clinical experience with the patient population, community-engaged recruitment and retention strategies, and primary data collection methods using a community-based participatory approach. The multi-disciplinary nature of this team strengthens my training and research by providing overlapping and distinct paradigms from which to consider my research question. I could not ask for a more supportive and knowledgeable team.