b'20052020 and BEYOND WEVE ENCOURAGEDTHE MEETING OF MINDS. In addition to hosting the Foley Retreat, NPCRC convenes small working groups,both on our own and in collaboration with other institutions, such as the NIH.These intimate, focused mini-conferences bring together researchers and their mentors to identify and outline their research priorities. Wide-ranging in both focus and specialty, conference topics have included everything from palliative care for geriatrics and advanced dementia to the relationship between palliative care and spirituality, communication, heart disease, surgery, medical subspecialties, and more.TARGETED ADVANCED DEMENTIA GENERATED IDEASWhen the National Alzheimers Project Act (NAPA) was signed into law in 2011, the subject of palliative care research was nowhere24in sight. To develop a research agenda NPCRC funded a conference, led by Dr. Susan Mitchell, of the nations foremost experts inpalliative care and advanced dementia. Based on their findings andMANUSCRIPTS PUBLISHEDensuing NPCRC advocacy efforts, NAPA was amended to includeAS A RESULT OFprovisions focused on enhancing palliative care research and NPCRC SPONSOREDpromoting such clinical care for persons with advanced dementia. MINI-CONFERENCESWEVE FOSTERED MENTORING.Mentor/mentee relationships are about guidance, support, learning, and inspiration; they are mutually enriching. Mentors expand their intellectual and academic range by interacting with their mentees wide-ranging research interests. Mentees lean on their mentors experience and expertise to help focus research and sharpen funding application skills. These collaborative relationships are fundamental to creating ongoing cadres of influential palliative care researchers.CONNECTED MENTORS AND MENTEESFUNDED 341058 DISCIPLINESEARLY-STAGE INVESTIGATOR/DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS MENTOR PAIRS FROMREPRESENTING 19'