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.

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.

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