Rafael Samper-Ternent MD, PhD

I am an Associate Professor in The School of Public Health, Lead the Research and Clinical Innovation Core of the Institute on Aging, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Joan and Stanford Alexander Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth Houston). I received my MD degree at Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia in 2004, followed by my PhD 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. My clinical work focused on providing outstanding care to older adults using a patient and family-centered approach. 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 each person. I am 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. I am also Co-PI of a pilot project to adapt the Patient Priorities Care (PPC) approach for Hispanics with MCC and dementia and a Co-Investigator of a pilot project comparing the implementation of PPC in two healthcare systems. Both pilots are funded by the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory. These pragmatic clinical trials have provided hands-on experience in the implementation of interventions to improve outcomes in persons living with ADRD and MCC and their caregivers.

UT Health Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, School of Public Health