HISTORY
JHSON has been a leader in research focused on aging for more than two decades. The Center was initially launched as the Center for Innovative Care in Aging in 2011 to advance novel behavioral interventions to enhance the health, well-being, and aging of older adults and their families. In an effort to broaden the Center’s focus beyond behavioral interventions, JHSON launched the Center for Equity in Aging under the leadership of Dr. Katherine Ornstein in 2022.
MEET THE TEAM
CENTER DIRECTOR
Research areas: Home-based primary and palliative care; dementia caregiving, hospice and palliative care delivery; long-term services and supports, health equity
Associate Director of Innovation & Implementation
Quincy M. Samus
Research areas: Improve dementia care quality, delivery, and equity through translation of practical evidence-based, and cost-efficient practices to meet the needs of patients, families, providers, and health systems
Associate Director of Health Services Research
Research Areas: Big Data, Dementia, Disaster Preparation, Gerontology, Health Policy, Loneliness, Military/Veteran’s Affairs, Public Health, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research Methods/Statistics, Social Determinants of Health, Transition of Care
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Katherine A. Marx
RESEARCH TEAM
Erika serves as the Director of Experience Design. In this role, she creates events, programs, and initiatives that enhance the experience of SON’s faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders. Prior to this position, Erika worked on Dean Szanton’s research team, applying design thinking principles to the design and growth of CAPABLE and other older adult research projects. She is grateful to have the opportunity to apply her skillset at JHSON, a beacon of health leadership and equity for the country and world.
Erika’s previous work experience includes management consulting, product development, and healthy housing. She completed MBA/MA degrees in Design Leadership from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Maryland Institute College of Art and a BBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Erika serves as president of the Jewish Museum of Maryland, is a volunteer for Thread, and loves going on adventures with her husband and two children in Baltimore
DATA ANALYSTS
For analytic support, please contact [email protected].
STEERING COMMITTEE
PRINCIPAL FACULTY
Martha Abshire Saylor
Research areas: Heart failure, caregiving, quality of life, shared decision-making, and palliative care
Sarah Allgood
Research areas:
Adult Health, Aging, Genetics, Health Behavior, Interprofessional, Pain/Symptom Management, Palliative Care, Pulmonary, Quality Improvement
Research areas: Aging, dementia, disparities, equity, gerontological / geriatric, gerontology, quality improvement, safety
Valerie Cotter
Research areas: Dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; aging
Rita Ferrari D’Aoust
Research areas: Interprofessional education; underserved populations
Patricia M. Davidson
Research Areas: Cardiovascular care, transitional care; underserved populations
Research areas: Dementia; assisted living care; aging
Research areas: biological mechanisms of traumatic brain injuries, biological mechanisms of PTSD and depression
Kelly T. Gleason
Research areas: Electronic Medical Records, Informatics
Hae-Ra Han
Research areas: chronic care, community, disparities, equity, health behavior, public health, social determinants of health
Bryan Hansen
Research areas: Dementia, aggressive behaviors, neuropsychiatric symptoms, elder abuse, caregiving, geropsychiatry, person-centered interventions, restraint/seclusion reduction
Melissa Hladek
Research areas: Aging, Chronic Care, Vulnerable Populations
Binu Koirala
Research areas: Cardiovascular Health, Palliative Care, Care of People with Complex and Chronic Conditions
Junxin Li
Research Areas: Aging, sleep, physical activity, cognition; person-centered dementia care
Katherine A. Marx
Research areas: Aging, Dementia, End of Life, Gerontology, Health Behavior, Public Health, Research Design, Transition of Care
Research areas: Care Coordination, Chronic Care, Disparities, Equity, Health Policy, Integrated Health, Leadership/ Organizational Culture, Primary Care, Public Health, Quality Improvement, Safety, Transition of Care
Research areas: Home-based primary and palliative care; dementia caregiving, hospice and palliative care delivery; long-term services and supports, health equity
Research areas: Cognitive aging, prevention, lifestyle activities, personality, community-based interventions, public health
Research areas: Community / Public Health, Disparities, Primary Care, Social Determinants of Health/Poverty, Vulnerable Populations
Natalie G. Regier
Research areas: Dementia-related restlessness, myriad problems resulting from the ambiguity of restlessness, including improperly-targeted behavioral interventions
Laura Samuel
Research areas: Socioeconomic status, neighborhoods, aging, chronic disease, health disparities, health promotion
Quincy M. Samus
Research areas: Improve dementia care quality, delivery, and equity through translation of practical evidence-based, and cost-efficient practices to meet the needs of patients, families, providers, and health systems
Erin Spaulding
Research areas: Acute/Critical Care, Adult Health, Aging, Cardiovascular, Chronic Care, Community, Equity, Health Technology
Research areas: Aging, Health Disparities, Gerontology, Social Determinants of Health/Poverty
Research Areas: Big Data, Dementia, Disaster Preparation, Gerontology, Health Policy, Loneliness, Military/Veteran’s Affairs, Public Health, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research Methods/Statistics, Social Determinants of Health, Transition of Care
Janiece L. Taylor
Research areas: Minority aging; pain; women’s health
Research areas: Oncology, health disparities, health services research; managed care, case management, treatment decision making; computer-assisted qualitative data analysis
Rebecca J. Wright
Research Areas: Palliative and end-of-life care; wound care; dementia; geriatrics; family caregivers; health care experiences and service design
TRAINEES
Jamie M. Smith
Smith’s research is informed by nearly two-decades as a registered nurse working in clinical care, policy, and education. Her current work will examine how structural and social determinants influence access to home health care for older adults with dementia. Smith earned her PhD at Rutgers University, School of Nursing, where she was a Jonas Nurse Scholar. Smith’s long-term goal is to develop a meaningful research program that informs equitable care delivery for older adults with complex needs to maintain their independence and quality of life.
Mary Louise received her MPH from Johns Hopkins University in 2017 and her PhD in health services research from George Mason University in 2022. Her research areas include social isolation, long-term services and supports, and suboptimal health care utilization among aging populations. Her current work leverages national longitudinal datasets to examine mechanisms that may enhance social support to reduce nursing home placement.
Yiqing Qian
Yiqing’s passion for caregiving science is driven by her training in public health and her lived experience. Yiqing received her PhD in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2023 and her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan in 2016. Her research areas include health disparities, sociocultural aspects of caregiving, and stress coping. Yiqing’s current work will explore national datasets to examine unmet needs of homebound older adults, trajectories of caregiving activities, and the heterogeneities across illness contexts and socio-demographic backgrounds.