Dr. Kimberly Garner is an experienced geriatrician and palliative care physician who is the Associate Director for Education and Evaluation at the VISN 16 Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center in Little Rock.  She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).  She conducts clinical demonstration projects and research to develop best practices that enhance communication between individuals, their support systems and healthcare providers about planning for future medical decisions.

Dr. Prasad Padala is a board certified geriatric psychiatrist. He is the Associate Director for Clinical activities at the VISN 16 Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) and an associate Professor of psychiatry and geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He is the Medical Director for the North Little Rock Memory Clinic, a multidisciplinary referral clinic implementing evidence based practices in the assessment and management of dementia and related behavioral problems. Dr. Padala is expanding the memory clinic to CBOCs via telehealth as part of the GRECC-Connect. He has 12 years of experience in clinical and research management of behavioral problems of dementia with an emphasis on Apathy, a profound loss of motivation with far reaching consequences. He has conducted six RCTs of apathy treatment including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. These studies were funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association. He enjoys collaborating with colleagues across the US and Canada in research and clinical demonstration projects.

Tanya Taylor, BSN, RN is the GRECC Connect Coordinator for Little Rock.  Tanya is a Registered Nurse with 10 years’ experience in Geriatrics, including long term care. Her interests include providing wellness education to older adults to assist them in living longer, more independent lives and the mental health of geriatrics.

Point of Contact: Tanya Taylor; 501-257-2502; tanya.taylor@va.gov