Rafael Samper-Ternent

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About

I received my M.D. degree at Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia in 2004, followed by my Ph.D. in Health Services Research from UTMB in 2012. I then returned to clinical practice and completed Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Geriatrics, in 2016. My goal as a Clinician-Scientist is to produce evidence that informs the development of interventions that improve the well-being of Hispanic older adults and their caregivers. Thus, my research focuses on cultural adaptation and implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes in Hispanics with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers. My research also focuses on decreasing health disparities among older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) by focusing on what matters most to them. I am a Co-Principal Investigator of a pilot project funded by the IMPACT Collaboratory to adapt the Patient Priorities Care approach for Hispanics with MCC and dementia. I am also the site Project Manager and Co-Chair of the Clinical Sites Committee for the DCARE study, a pragmatic clinical trial comparing health system-based dementia care and community-based dementia care to usual care. These pragmatic clinical trials have provided hands-on experience in implementing interventions to help persons living with dementia and their caregivers. I also work with large population-based studies like the Mexican Health and Aging Study and the Health and Retirement Study to examine how populations age and understand factors that can be changed to improve their aging experience and their health outcomes as they age.

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Center Affiliation

Center for Health Systems Research, Policy, and Practice

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Research Interests

• Behavioral/Mental Health
• Big Data/Data Science
• Clinical Trials
• Global Health
• Health Education/Behavioral Sciences
• Health Services/Outcomes Research