Photo of Julie  Robison, Ph.D.

Julie Robison, Ph.D.

Professor of Medicine
UConn Center on Aging
Academic Office Location:
Center on Aging
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-5215
Phone: 860-679-4278
Fax: 860-679-1307

I am a Professor in the UConn Health Center on Aging and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Gerontology. I teach and mentor graduate and undergraduate students, medical students, interns and fellows. My research aims to improve quality of life and quality of care for people who need long term services and supports (LTSS), and their families. My specific areas of expertise include effectiveness of LTSS for older adults and their families, designing evaluations of innovative LTSS designed to promote independent living, LTSS for individuals with dementia, and health disparities in the population needing LTSS. The results of my work have direct impact on the implementation of policies and programs that serve extremely vulnerable populations in Connecticut and nationally.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
B.A.Georgetown UniversityArt History
M.A.Cornell UniversityHuman Development & Family Studies
Ph.D.Cornell UniversityHuman Development & Family Studies
PostdocYale University School of MedicineEpidemiology of Aging

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
PostdoctoralYale University School of MedicineEpidemiology of Aging

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Gordon Streib Academic Gerontologist AwardSouthern Gerontological Society
FellowGerontological Society of America
Service AwardAlzheimer's Resource Center
Certificate of AppreciationCT DSS/Money Follows the Person Steering Committee
Pre-Dissertation Paper AwardGerontological Society of America
Graduate Fellowships, 1991-94Cornell University
Phi Beta Kappa

I teach and advise students in the UConn Public Health graduate program. Dr. Richard Fortinsky and I co-teach Public Health and Policy in an Aging Society during the spring semester. 


I am a course director for the CICATS PreK Scholar Career Development Award Program, mentoring and instructing junior faculty as they develop K-award and other career development award proposals.


I teach an 8-session series on introductory statistics for Fellows in geriatrics and infectious disease. And I teach interns in their geriatrics rotation about Medicare & Medicaid Policy and Legal and Ethical Issues at the End of Life.


I evaluate pairs of medical and dental students presenting individual journal club sessions on current articles.


 

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, Board on Health Care ServicesProfessional/Scientific OrganizationBoard memberExternalNational20212024
Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation: Another Look grant programStudy SectionChairExternalNational2020
Center on Aging Recruitment and Community Engagement CoreOtherDirectorUConn HealthRegional2019
Senior Appointments & Promotion CommitteeAdvisory Committeesecondary reviewerUConn HealthUniversity2019
Journal of Applied GerontologyProfessional/Scientific JournalEditor-in-ChiefExternalInternational2017
AcademyHealth Long-Term Services and Supports Interest GroupProfessional/Scientific OrganizationChairExternalInternational20162017
Wallingford Public Library Board of ManagersCommunity ServicePresidentExternalLocal20162019
UConn Health Merit Appeals CommitteeCommunity ServiceChairUConn HealthUniversity20152019
UConn Center on Aging Evaluation & Population Assessment CoreOtherDirectorUConn HealthRegional2015
AcademyHealthProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalInternational2012
AcademyHealth Long-Term Services and Supports Interest GroupProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalInternational2012
Connecticut Task Force on Aging in PlaceAdvisory CommitteeGovernor's AppointeeExternalState20122012
Wallingford Public Library Board of ManagersCommunity ServiceMemberExternalLocal2009
American Public Health AssociationProfessional/Scientific OrganizationMemberExternalInternational20092018
UConn Health Geriatrics Education CommitteeEducation CommitteeMemberUConn HealthUniversity2007
Journal of Applied Gerontology Editorial BoardEditorial BoardMemberExternalInternational2007
Connecticut Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Evaluation CommitteeResearch CommitteeChairExternalState2007
Connecticut Long-Term Services and Supports Rebalancing Steering CommitteeAdvisory Committeeex-officio memberExternalState2006
LiveWell Connecticut Board of TrusteesProfessional/Scientific OrganizationSecretaryExternalNational2000
Foundation for Long Term Care Research Advisory Board (Albany, NY)Advisory CommitteeMemberExternalRegional20002005
Gerontological Society of AmericaProfessional/Scientific OrganizationFellowExternalInternational1992

Long-Term Services and Supports, Family Caregiving, Dementia, Depression


My research aims to improve quality of life and quality of care for people who need long term services and supports (LTSS), and their families. LTSS includes in-home, community-based, and institutional care provided by clinicians, paraprofessionals, and families to individuals with functional limitations and chronic illnesses who need assistance to perform routine daily activities such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and administering medications. I study how well LTSS funded by Medicaid, Medicare, and other public-sector sources affect health and well-being outcomes. My specific areas of expertise include effectiveness of LTSS for older adults and their families, designing evaluations of innovative LTSS designed to promote independent living, LTSS for individuals with dementia, and health disparities in the population needing LTSS. My work has been continuously funded since 1997 by a range of sources including federal agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living, Connecticut State Agencies and the State Legislature, medical research foundations, and the NIH. The results of my work have direct impact on the implementation of policies and programs that serve extremely vulnerable populations in Connecticut and nationally. I have served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on over 50 funded research studies and regularly present research findings in national and community forums. 

I often have research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students interested in aging and disability policy and aging families. Please contact me directly for current information.

Journal Articles

Editorials

Reviews

Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
The Journal of Applied Gerontology: An International PerspectiveTalkGerontological Society of America2023Tampa, FL
Emergency Department Use among Older Adults Receiving Medicaid Home and Community-Based ServicesTalkGerontological Society of America2023Tampa, FL
Less Hospice Utilization Among Connecticut Medicaid Decedents With Nursing Home Stays Before DeathTalkGerontological Society of America2023Tampa, FL
Predictors of Hospitalization and Emergency Department Use for Older Adults in a Medicaid HCBS ProgramPosterAcademyHealth2023Seattle, WA
Existing Models: Money Follows the Person & Care for People with Dementia in their Environments (COPE)OtherNASEM2022Washington, DC
The Journal of Applied Gerontology: An International PerspectiveTalkGerontological Society of America2022Indianapolis, IN
Caregiver Subgroup Analyses from an Embedded Dementia Care Effectiveness TrialTalkGerontological Society of America2022Indianapolis, IN
Hospice Utilization among Medicaid-only and Dually Eligible Decedents in ConnecticutTalkGerontological Society of America2022Indianapolis, IN
Journal of Applied GerontologyTalkSouthern Gerontological Society2022Panama City Beach
Journal of Applied GerontologyTalkSouthern Gerontological Society2021virtual
Journal of Applied GerontologyTalkSouthern Gerontological Society2019Miramar Beach, FL
Trends and Best Practices in Community-Based Long Term Services and SupportsPlenary LectureAgency on Aging of South Central Connecticut’s annual board mtg2019Orange, CT
Exploring the effects of rural and urban living on loneliness and reinstitutionalizationPosterGSA2019Austin, TX
The Significant Role of Housing Coordination in Connecticut’s Money Follows the Person ProgramPosterGSA2019Austin, TX
Does Rural-Urban Living Affect Health Service Utilization after Transitioning out of a Nursing Home?PosterAcademyHealth2019Washington, DC
Connecticut’s Money Follows the Person: Exploring the Effect of Rural-Urban Living on Health Service Utilization. Authors: Ligus, K & Robison, JPosterSouthern Gerontological Society Annual Meeting2019Miramar Beach, FL.
Challenges to Transitioning back to the Community Faced by People with Acute Brain Injury or Physical Disabilities. Authors: Pacik, D. & Robison, J., Tolchin, D., & Fortinsky, R.H.PosterAssociation of Academic Physiatrists annual meeting2019Puerto Rico
Does Rural-Urban Living Affect Health Service Utilization after Transitioning out of a Nursing Home? authors: Ligus, K. & Robison, J.PosterAcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting2019Washington, DC.
The Journal of Applied Gerontology: An International Perspective.TalkGSA2019Austin, TX
National Family Caregiver Support Program Process Evaluation: A Review of Program OperationsTalkGSA2019Austin, TX
Trends and Best Practices in Community-Based Long Term Services and SupportsPlenary LectureAARP Aging Roundtable and Resource Fair2019Hartford, CT
A Conversation with the Editors of Journal of Applied GerontologyTalkSouthern Gerontological Society2018Lake Lanier, GA