CARE Network

The Creating and Advancing Caregiving Research and Evidence (CARE) Network

The Care Network

About the CARE Network

The CARE Network – powered by the National Alliance for Caregiving – is a collaborative initiative focused creating a more unified and adaptable national infrastructure for family caregiving research across the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NCFSP) /Native American Caregiver Support Program (NACSP) network.

Funded, in part, by a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the CARE Network brings together a diverse network of interdisciplinary researchers, aging services providers, family caregivers, and subject matter experts across caregiving, aging, and disability to advance Goal 5 of the of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers – expanding data, research, and evidence-based practices to support family caregivers.

The CARE Network centers the voices of family caregivers to ensure activities are co-created with, and meet the diverse needs of, family caregivers and the programs that serve them.

The CARE Network Has Four Key Objectives

Develop a diverse and inclusive research network

Develop and advance a research agenda that synthesizes existing caregiving research initiatives into common priorities, questions, and gaps aligned with the National Strategy

Develop a learning program to increase the capacity of the NFCSP/NACSP network to engage in caregiving research related to service and intervention delivery

Promote the adoption of consistent measures on family caregiving and evidence-based interventions among caregiving researchers and aging services and family caregiver support providers

Why we’re focused on building research infrastructure for family caregiving research?

Caregiving often takes a significant toll on families, leaving them financially strained, emotionally drained, and physically exhausted. However, our current understanding of the prevalence and impact of caregiving is limited due to the absence of comprehensive, population-based data. This underscores the urgent need for a national research infrastructure that captures the full range of caregiving experiences – from episodic to chronic, long-distance to local – and addresses the unique challenges faced by caregivers across diverse relationships, conditions, and disabilities. This framework is essential for creating support programs and services that are not only effective but also adaptable and sustainable to benefit a wider population of caregivers.

Our Core Organizational Partners

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Our Steering Committee

Bridget Bearden, PhD, MS, MBA

Research and Development Strategist, Employee Benefit Research Institute

Ana Beltran, JD

Director Generations United

Tauhric Brown, MS

CEO, CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions

Joe Caldwell, PhD

Director and Senior Scientist, Brandeis University

Ali Caliendo, PhD

Founder Executive Director, Foster Kinship

Gloria Carr, PhD, RN

Division Director, Associate Professor, University of Memphis

Jonathan Cottor, MBA, MPH

CEO/Founder, National Center for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes

Carole Cox, PhD, MSW

Professor, Fordham University

Lee Ellington, PhD, MS

Huntsman Cancer Institute Investigator/Professor, University of Utah

Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN

Associate Professor, Emory University

Eboni Green, PhD, RN

Co-Founder, Caregiver Support Services

Terri Harvath, PhD, MS

Clinical Professor University of Minnesota

Tamar Heller, PhD

Distinguished Professor, University of Illinois Chicago

Jill Jacobs

CEO, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

Kathleen Kelly, MPA

Executive Director, Family Caregiver Alliance

Sandy Magaña, PhD, MSW

Professor in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, UT Austin

Heang Tan

Deputy Commissioner, Aging and Care Services, Baltimore City Health Department

Valerie Tsosie

Founder, So’Tsoh Foundation

Ms. Katie White, MSW

Director, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging

Jennifer Wolff, PhD

Professor, Johns Hopkins University

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Our Lived Experience Advisory Board

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Join the CARE Network Learning Network

We are looking for caregiving researchers, service providers, healthcare practitioners, and other stakeholders across the aging and disability network to join us!

As part of the CARE Network, you will receive regular email newsletters, information on upcoming events, peer networking/peer learning opportunities, and other ways to get involved! You will also receive more information about other key activities and products of the CARE Network.

This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,664,000 with 75 percent funded by ACL/HHS and $664,000 and 25 percent funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.