Kathryn Nearing PhD, MA

Title: Associate Director Education and Evaluation and Founder, Coordinator and Facilitator of the Older Veteran Engagement Team; Assistant Professor, Geriatric Medicine

Contact: kathryn.nearing@cuanschutz.edu

University of Colorado Multidisciplinary Center on Aging webpage

Personal Statement
Kathryn A. Nearing, PhD, MA, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Center on Aging; and, Associate Director for Education and Evaluation for the Eastern Colorado GRECC. Areas of expertise include health services research, including dissemination and implementation science; research translation, including health systems change in response to clinical innovation; community-based participatory research and stakeholder engagement; and, education, training and career development, including clinical and translational research mentorship and leadership development.

Research Interest

Dr. Nearing brings over 20 years of experience designing and implementing large-scale evaluations in the fields of clinical and translational research, public health and education (including medical education). Dr. Nearing previously served as the lead evaluator for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and the Eastern Colorado GRECC. The evaluation of the NIH-supported CCTSI examined how the institute catalyzed research across the translational spectrum and life course, with a focus on the mission-critical aspects of education, training and career development; regulatory processes/science; providing high-quality, cost-effective research resources and services to meet prioritized needs; and, stakeholder engagement. In this role, Dr. Nearing applied quantitative and qualitative research expertise, acquired through training as a medical and applied anthropologist and health and behavioral scientist; workflow and social network analysis; and, quality and process improvement to support specific pillars of the CCTSI.

As Associate Director for Education and Evaluation for the Eastern Colorado GRECC, Dr. Nearing leads the education, training and career development component, of which there are currently 16 trainees representing five disciplines and eight core didactic/training opportunities offered routinely with local, regional and national reach. Dr. Nearing coordinates and facilitates the Older Veteran Engagement Team – a group of older Veterans and caregivers who provide feedback and input on research and clinical and community-based services focused on older Veterans. She also actively mentors trainees and GRECC Advanced Research Fellows.

Older Veteran Engagement Team (OVET)
The GRECC has three components: research, clinical demonstration projects and workforce development. To ensure that the voice of those the GRECC hopes to serve informs this work, the GRECC established an Older Veteran Engagement Team (OVET). OVET members are older Veterans and caregivers of older Veterans. OVET engages a diverse group that collectively brings a variety of life and military experiences to bear on issues of importance to aging Veterans and caregivers. OVET meets monthly (3rd Wednesday, 10-12 at the Colorado State Vets Home) and is a resource to investigators, providers and trainees who are interested in receiving feedback and input from older Veterans and caregivers regarding some aspect of a quality improvement, education or research project.

Grants & Funding

Workforce Development Engages Diverse Older Adults to Catalyze Innovative Approaches for Enhanced Recruitment and Retention

We will recruit, train and hire diverse older adults into paid positions as research specialists. They are part of the enhanced clinical research infrastructure, which will help catalyze innovative solutions to mitigate existing cultural divides between potential study participants and research professionals caused by differences in age, socio-economic status, education levels, rural versus urban locality, and health literacy. 
Leveraging this enhanced capacity, we will host Research Roadshow events to engage diverse older adults throughout rural/frontier communities in Colorado, providing fun, experiential opportunities to engage with research and research teams. 
We will promote enduring connections with diverse communities through expanded community outreach and engagement programming, enhanced facilitation of the informed consent process, and tailored communication strategies.
Investigator: Kathryn Nearing
Funder: National Institute on Aging
NIH website

Recent Publications

2024

Abbate LM, Jordan SR, Ho PM, Matlock DD, Allen KD, Wherry S, Wellington T, Buxo ZJ, Richardson V, McGuire C, Pearson M, Hall KS, Nearing KA. Older Veterans' perspectives on participation in a clinical exercise program: A qualitative study of the VA Gerofit exercise program. SAGE Open Med. 2024 Aug 27;12:20503121241271759. doi: 10.1177/20503121241271759. PMID: 39206229; PMCID: PMC11350545.

Rauzi MR, Tran MK, Plew J, Christiansen CL, Mealer ML, Nearing KA, Stevens-Lapsley JE. Older Veteran Experiences of using Technology during a Multicomponent Telerehabilitation Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study. Cogent Gerontol. 2024;3(1):2340549. doi: 10.1080/28324897.2024.2340549. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 39035459; PMCID: PMC11259315.

Boudreau JH, Moo LR, Kennedy MA, Conti J, Anwar C, Pimentel CB, Nearing KA, Hung WW, Dryden EM. Needs for Successful Engagement in Telemedicine Among Rural Older US Veterans and Their Caregivers: Qualitative Study. JMIR Form Res. 2024 May 7;8:e50507. doi: 10.2196/50507. PMID: 38713503.

Swink LA, Thornton WA, Nearing KA, Manago MM. A qualitative study of low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction in people with advanced multiple sclerosis. Physiother Theory Pract. 2024 Apr 15:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2024.2341993. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38616662.

Nearing KA, Dryden EM, Pimentel CB, Kernan LM, Hartz S, Kelley L, Hung WW, Kennedy MA, Moo LR. (2024). Can telemedicine reach rural, older veterans on the edge of or caught in the digital divide? – Unique considerations for two distinct populations. Cogent Gerontology, 3(1).

Dryden EM, Anwar C, Conti J, Boudreau JH, Kennedy MA, Hung WW, Nearing KA, Pimentel CB, Moo L. The Development and Use of a New Visual Tool (REVISIT) to Support Participant Recall: Web-Based Interview Study Among Older Adults. JMIR Form Res. 2024 Feb 1;8:e52096. doi: 10.2196/52096. 
PMID: 38300691.

2023

Pimentel CB, Dryden EM, Nearing KA, Kernan LM, Kennedy MA, Hung WW, Riley J, Moo LR. The role of Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinics in enhancing rural access to geriatrics telemedicine specialty care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Nov 30. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18703. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38032320.

Rauzi MR, Mealer ML, Abbate LM, Stevens-Lapsley JE, Nearing KA. Older Veterans' Experiences of a Multicomponent Telehealth Program: Qualitative Program Evaluation Study. JMIR Form Res. 2023 Sep 8;7:e46081. doi: 10.2196/46081. 
PMID: 37682595.

2022

Prater LC, Simonetti JA, Knoepke CE, Polzer ER, Nearing KA, Lee T, Betz ME. Older adults and planning for firearm safety: A qualitative study of healthcare providers. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 Dec 22. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18188. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 36550590.

Betz ME, Polzer ER, Knoepke CE, Prater LC, Simonetti JA, Lee TM, Meador LE, Nearing KA. Cars, Guns, Aging, and "Giving Up the Keys". Gerontologist. 2022 Nov 16:gnac142. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnac142. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 36383376.

Dryden EM, Kennedy MA, Conti J, Boudreau JH, Anwar CP, Nearing K, Pimentel CB, Hung WW, Moo LR. Perceived benefits of geriatric specialty telemedicine among rural patients and caregivers. Health Serv Res. 2022 Aug 31. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14055. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 36054487.

Nearing KA, Adams HM, Alsphaugh J, Douglas SE, Feller TR, Fleak R, Moore V, Martin-Sanders S, Schultz TM, Stratton K, Sullivan JP, Van Sickle L, Yates JD, Yates TA, Matlock DD. Engaging the Wisdom of Older Veterans to Enhance VA Healthcare, Research, and Services. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Mar 29:1–11. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07076-x. Epub ahead of print. PMCID: PMC8960672. 
PMID: 35349016.

Gustavson AM, LeDoux CV, Himawan M, Stevens-Lapsley JE, Nearing KA. Implementation of a rehabilitation model in a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE): Preliminary data. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 Feb 4. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17674. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 35119693.