Health Services Research
The Alzheimer’s Association connects scientific research, person-centered care, lived experience, health systems and policy at a national scale. As the world’s largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s and other dementia research, the Alzheimer's Association has seen rapid advances in prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment.
To ensure these innovations translate into real-world impact, health care delivery and financing systems must evolve alongside science. Health services research (HSR) plays a critical role in making brain health and dementia care more timely, effective, equitable and person-centered.
What is health services research?
Health services research examines how care is delivered, accessed, financed and experienced, and identifies evidence-based ways to improve systems of care and outcomes. By identifying system-level barriers and testing scalable solutions, HSR enables health systems, policymakers and payers to make evidence-informed decisions that improve outcomes for people living with dementia and their care partners.
Our work
The Alzheimer’s Association advances health services research to transform brain health and dementia care by generating and analyzing real-world evidence, identifying system-level gaps and accelerating the translation of science into practice and policy. Our work supports timely, high-quality, equitable and person-centered care across the entire health care continuum.
We identify and elevate the most pressing, real-world challenges facing individuals living with dementia, their care partners and the systems that support them by mapping critical knowledge gaps, responding to emerging clinical, policy and system issues, and defining the priority research questions that will guide the field.
How we work
Our approach is built on collaboration, evidence and a commitment to real-world impact.
- Collaborative and inclusive: We convene multidisciplinary experts while centering lived experience to shape research priorities and study design.
- Evidence-driven: We lead, fund and collaborate on studies and data analyses that inform clinical, system and policy decisions.
- Focused on impact: We actively translate findings into practice through dissemination, implementation and evaluation to support scale and sustainability.
Feedback wanted: Shape the future of health services research
The Alzheimer's Association is launching a global consultation to inform its health services research agenda, and we want to hear from you.
Starting March 25, 2026, researchers, clinicians, health systems leaders, policymakers and individuals with lived experience are invited to review and provide feedback on preliminary focus areas, priority domains, and proposed research questions through our co-design digital platform. Participation is voluntary, and feedback may be provided anonymously.
Contact us at hsr@alz.org to receive a link to our feedback collection form.
Current projects
Developing a Global Health Services Research Agenda for Brain Health and Dementia Care
This project aims to develop a global health services research agenda for brain health and dementia care in partnership with AcademyHealth, the leading professional HSR organization in the United States. Using a co-design digital platform, the initiative includes an international collaborative process that engages researchers, practitioners, policymakers and individuals with lived experience to identify priority topics and actionable research questions. The resulting agenda will outline priority areas and topics to help align future research investments with real-world care needs and inform dementia policy and practice globally.
This study characterized patterns in the use of real-world data in United States-based dementia HSR and identified key gaps limiting the field’s ability to inform care delivery and system-level decision-making. Manuscript in preparation for publication.
The United States Cost of Dementia Model: Quantifying Current and Future Impacts of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
In this NIA-funded study, the health services research team co-leads two national engagement panels. Explore the project website or the visualization tool.
State Dementia Care Research Center (StARS)
In this NIA-funded study, the health services research team serves as a member of the Research and Innovation Core, providing guidance and oversight to research teams awarded Dementia Care Innovation Grants. Learn more at the StARS project website.
ISTAART Health Services Research Special Interest Group
The International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) has launched a Special Interest Group (SIG) dedicated to health services research, hosted by the Health Policy Professional Interest Area (PIA).
This HSR SIG provides a global forum for ongoing collaboration among multidisciplinary researchers committed to improving access, quality and outcomes in brain health and dementia care worldwide. Participation is open to ISTAART members and includes opportunities to engage through webinars, working groups and collaborative projects.
If you would like to join our SIG, please reach out to hsr@alz.org and we'll send the request form to you. (Not an ISTAART member? Learn more and become a member.)
Funding opportunities
The Alzheimer’s Association offers a range of funding programs including those supporting topics relevant to Health Services Research (HSR).
In addition to periodic targeted HSR programs, projects that address a range of health services research questions, including, but not limited to, studies examining barriers and solutions to timely access, quality, and care coordination are welcome to apply to the International Grants Research Programs. For more information, please contact grantsapp@alz.org.
Past initiatives
AAIC 2025 Pre-Conference Workshop: 101 Health Disparities Research Using Real-World Data (Toronto, Canada | July 25, 2025)This interactive workshop was designed for researchers across disciplines and career stages who are interested in leveraging real-world data to address disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research
Alzheimer’s Association Health Services Research Workshop: HSR in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (Chicago, United States | Aug. 14, 2025)
This workshop brought together a diverse, multi-perspective group to discuss the current state of science and practice in ADRD-focused health services research, outline key priorities and research topics to advance the field, and set the foundation for a Health Services Research Agenda focused on Brain Health and Dementia Care.
Publications
Kuzmik, A., Tripathi, A., Block, L.M., Oyinlola, O., Pinho, P.J., Rahemi, Z., Tyagi, P., & Neumann, L.T.V. (2025). Development and preliminary findings of a scoping review on the use of real-world data in health services research for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 21, e108648. doi.org/10.1002/alz70861_108648
Kuzmik, A., & Vasconcellos Neumann, L.T. (2025). Understanding the challenges of increased care burden in dementia caregiving after hospitalization. Innovation in Aging, 9(Supplement_2), igaf122-195. doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaf122.1956
Pike, J., Conant, R., Rosen, J., Stratton, L., Pace, D., Baumgart, M., Evans, K., Fazio, S., Hill, C., Moreno, M., Vasconcellos Neumann, L. T., Roberts, S., & Egge, R. (2025). A comprehensive policy landscape for Alzheimer’s and related dementias: Past, present, and future directions. Public Policy & Aging Report, 35(3), 63–69. doi.org/10.1093/ppar/praf015
Neumann, L.T.V., Annunziata, K., & Stratton, L. (2024). Caregiving impact on Medicare older adults: Results of the U.S. Health and Wellness Survey. Innovation in Aging, 8(Supplement_1), 1194.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae098.3822
Lee, L., Annunziata, K., & Neumann, L.T.V. (2024). Higher patient activation levels may mitigate Alzheimer’s caregiving burden in Europe. Value in Health, 27(12, Suppl.), S565. doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2024.10.3538
Lee, L., Subiron-Naidoo, N., Annunziata, K., Neumann, L., & Stankus, A. (2024). Higher patient activation levels may mitigate Alzheimer’s caregiving burden. Value in Health, 27(6, Suppl.), S301-S302. doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2024.03.1641
Alzheimer's Association health services research team
Contact us: hsr@alz.org
Lycia Tramujas Vasconcellos Neumann, Ph.D., MPA Sr. Director, Health Services Research Medical & Scientific Relations, Alzheimer's Association
Ashley Kuzmik, DrPH, MPH Associate Director, Health Services Research Medical & Scientific Relations, Alzheimer's Association
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