Prasad R. Padala, MD, MS, is the Associate Director for Clinical Innovations in the VISN 16/CAVHS GRECC. He is a Professor of Psychiatry and Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the program director for the Baptist Health-UAMS psychiatry residency. He is board certified in Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine. He is the POC for the GRECC Connect for the Little Rock site and runs the multidisciplinary memory clinic, participates in the Geriatric E-Consults, serves as a national expert for the “Ask the Expert: Geriatric Psychiatry” program and the lead for the Connection Plans for Cognitive Impairment. His research interests include management of the behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. He is the medical director for the multi-disciplinary memory clinic at CAVHS and heads the GRECC advanced fellowship training program. His research is funded through the ORD, NIH and Alzheimer’s Association. His most recent RRD merit review grant focuses on treatment of apathy using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and studying the impact on neurodegeneration. He also does research on the impact of loneliness on physical and mental health. He has published over 100 peer reviewed journal articles and 10 textbook chapters.

Kalpana Padala, MD, MS, is a geriatrician and the Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Little Rock GRECC. She is an Associate professor in the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. She is board certified in Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. She is the lead for the Tele Dementia Clinic and Geriatric E-consults at the LR GRECC. Her research focuses on improving gait and balance in older adults and to improve exercise adherence. She is the PI of a four-year VA Merit funded study that focuses on the role of executive function on exercise adherence. Her recent research has been funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Health. She is the site-PI of Janssen COVID vaccine trial. She is also the PI of the Geriatric Walking Clinic funded by the Office of Rural Health and disseminated regionally via Telehealth and nationally with GeroFit program. She has published over 55 peer reviewed articles and has made over 75 presentations at national and international conferences.

Kendria Reichelt has worked for GRECC as a Medical Support Assistant for the past 2 years. She schedules, cancels, and re-schedules all appointments for GRECCs clinical demonstration projects while ensuring that the clinic setup and video telehealth appointments are monitored closely. She also coordinate meetings with the experts to address the GRECC Geriatric E-consults and creates the agenda and take minutes for the monthly clinical demonstration project. She serves as the point of contact for the Little Rock hub site with GRECC-Connect Program and the Office of Rural Health.

Christina Crawford, Health Science Specialist, BA (Psych), CNA, QBHP. Christina has been with GRECC for the past 2 years and served as Study Coordinator for the COVID-19 Impact on Psychosocial Factors of Loneliness in Rural Older Veterans and Caregivers study. She is program manager for the Connection Plan for Cognitive Impairment (CPCI) which began as Connection Plans, a multi-site clinical demonstration project partnering with the Baltimore, VISN 5, MIRECC. The Connection Plan program and CPCI are psychosocial interventions for Veterans meeting certain criteria conducted by phone or VVC. Prior to working with us here at CAVHS, GRECC, Christina worked as a behavioral interventionist for inpatient and outpatient services at Centers for Youth and Families in Little Rock and a behavioral interventionist in the Little Rock School District (LRSD). Most recently, she worked as a Therapy Assistant in Physical Therapy at the Arkansas Health Center under the Division of Long-Term Care and the Division of Behavioral Services for the State of Arkansas, Department of Human Services. Christina is a member of VHA OPCC&CT Whole Health and VHA Researchers. She is enrolled in her final year of the Master of Counseling in Rehabilitation and Human Development program at the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Point of Contact: Prasad Padala, MD (501) 257-2537