With support from the Team Grant Accelerator (TGA), investigators secured a major Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) award to study how best to support older adults—and the family caregivers who help them transition home after hospitalization.
Led by Thomas Karr Houston and Marc Kowalkowski as dual principal investigators, with project administrator Erica Hale and colleagues, the team received $28.1 million for Comparing Two Acute Care Transition Programs for Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers—showcasing the strong return that targeted pre-award support can deliver.
Advancing Research on Care Transitions
The study will enroll patients aged 65 and older admitted to 20 Advocate Health hospitals for non-surgical diagnoses who have identified family caregivers. Participants will be divided into two groups, both receiving support during hospitalization and after discharge. In one group, family caregivers will also receive education, skills training, and connections to community resources to help manage burnout and stress—equipping them to better support patients as they return home.
Why the TGA Came at the Right Time
The research team was preparing to resubmit a large PCORI proposal that had received positive reviews but needed stronger patient and caregiver engagement data. TGA pre-award funding enabled the team to gather that preliminary input—directly addressing reviewer feedback—while also strengthening a key partnership with Brad Kruger, Vice President of Patient Experience at Advocate Health. Because the TGA is connected to research centers, Center for Health System Sciences (CHASSIS) both supported the application effort and is now benefiting from TGA funds that helped move the work forward.
The Most Valuable Support: Supplemental Funding
According to the team, supplemental funding was the most impactful element of the accelerator. With staff fully committed to existing funded projects, the TGA filled critical gaps during proposal development. “Having the different aspects of support from the CTSI team to keep things moving forward was incredibly helpful,” said Hale.
From a $10,000 investment, the Team Grant Accelerator helped enable a $28.1 million award through PCORI’s PLACER (Phase Large Awards for Comparative Effectiveness Research) mechanism—a compelling example of what early-stage support can unlock.
What You Should Know
For investigators considering the Team Grant Accelerator, the message is straightforward: take advantage of it. The combination of supplemental funding and administrative support can remove key barriers to submission, particularly for large, multi-site studies. As Dr. Houston put it: “For large, complex studies, the supplemental funding and support from the Team Grant Accelerator can be the deciding factor between submission and funding success.”
Interested in applying? Learn more about the Team Grant Accelerator and apply here.