HISTORY
The SON has been a leader in research focused on aging for two decades. The Center for Innovative Care in Aging was launched at the SON in 2011 by Dr. Laura Gitlin 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, the SON launched the Center for Equity in Aging under the leadership of Dr. Katherine Ornstein in 2022.
MEET THE TEAM
Contact the Center for Equity in Aging: [email protected]
CENTER DIRECTOR
Katherine Ornstein, PhD, MPH
Professor
Email: [email protected]
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 Samus, PhD, MS
Research Associate
Email: [email protected]
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
Kali Thomas, PhD, MA
Email: [email protected]
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
Sarah Allgood, PhD, RN
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Pain/Symptom management and palliative care
SR. DATA ANALYST
Hanna Charankevich, PhD
Email: [email protected]
Yifan Liu, MS, MMed
Email: [email protected]
STRATEGISTS
Erika Hornstein, MBA, MA
Email: [email protected]
Samantha Curriero
Email: [email protected]
ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR
Linda Lauritsen
Email: [email protected]
STEERING COMMITTEE
Sarah Szanton
Kathryn McDonald
Anna Beeber
PRINCIPAL FACULTY
Martha A. Abshire, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-502-0233
email: [email protected]
Research areas: Heart failure, caregiving, quality of life, shared decision-making, and palliative care
Anna Beeber, PHD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Aging, dementia, disparities, equity, gerontological / geriatric, gerontology, quality improvement, safety
Valerie Cotter, DrNP, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Associate Professor
Phone: 410-955-7758
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Dementia; Alzheimer’s disease; aging
Rita D’Aoust, PhD, ACNP, ANP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN
Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning
Phone: 443-287-2768
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Interprofessional education; underserved populations
Patricia Davidson, PhD, MEd, RN, FAAN
Dean Emerita and Professor
Phone: 410-955-7544
Email: [email protected]
Research Areas: Cardiovascular care, transitional care; underserved populations
Patrick Doyle, PhD
Regional Vice President, Brightview Senior Living
Phone: 410-962-0595
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Dementia; assisted living care; aging
Jessica Gill, PHD, RN, FAAN
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: biological mechanisms of traumatic brain injuries, biological mechanisms of PTSD and depression
Bryan Hansen, PhD, RN, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-614-4820
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Dementia, aggressive behaviors, neuropsychiatric symptoms, elder abuse, caregiving, geropsychiatry, person-centered interventions, restraint/seclusion reduction
Hae Ra Han, PhD, MSN, RN
Professor
Phone: 410-614-2669
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Care Coordination, Chronic Care, Community, Disparities, Equity, Health Behavior, Public Health, Social Determinants of Health
Melissa Hladek, PhD, MSN, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-614-2418
Email:[email protected]
Research areas: Aging, Chronic Care, Vulnerable Populations
Binu Koirala, PhD, MGS, RN
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-614-4718
email: b[email protected]
Research areas: Cardiovascular Health, Palliative Care, Care of People with Complex and Chronic Conditions
Junxin Li, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Email: [email protected]
Research Areas: Aging, sleep, physical activity, cognition; person-centered dementia care
Katherine Marx, PhD, MPH
Research Associate
Phone: 443-287-8633
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Senior Housing, Aging in Place, Home Safety, Dementia Care, Osteoporosis, Falls and Fractures
Kathryn McDonald
Professor
Phone: 410-502-4015
Email: [email protected]
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
Carrie L. Nieman, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Phone: 301-896-3331
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Hearing health equity, age-related hearing loss, dementia, health disparities, community-based interventions
Katherine Ornstein, PhD, MPH
Professor
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Home-based primary and palliative care; dementia caregiving, hospice and palliative care delivery; long-term services and supports, health equity
Jeanine M. Parisi, PhD
Senior Scientist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Phone: 410-955-0412
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Cognitive aging, prevention, lifestyle activities, personality, community-based interventions, public health
Lauren J. Parker, PhD, MPH
Assistant Scientist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Phone: 410 -955-2215
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Psycho-social stress, health disparities, life course and aging
Craig Pollack, MD, MHS
Katey Ayers Endowed Associate Professor
Phone: 410 -955-4201
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Community / Public Health, Disparities, Primary Care, Social Determinants of Health/Poverty, Vulnerable Populations
Nicolas Reed, AuD
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-502-4332
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: hearing; hearing loss; hearing aids; amplification; health care; health services; hearing care utilization; gerontology; presbycusis; delirium
Natalie Regier, PhD
Assistant Professor
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Dementia-related restlessness, myriad problems resulting from the ambiguity of restlessness, including improperly-targeted behavioral interventions
Laura Samuel, PhD, CRNP
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-502-7170
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Socioeconomic status, neighborhoods, aging, chronic disease, health disparities, health promotion
Quincy Samus, PhD, MS
Research Associate
Email: [email protected]
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
Bonnielin Swenor, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Phone: 410-614-2874
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Ophthalmology; Visual impairment; Low Vision; Disability; Aging; Epidemiology
Sarah Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN
Patricia M. Davidson Professor for Health Equity and Social Justice
Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Aging, Health Disparities, Gerontology, Social Determinants of Health/Poverty
Kali Thomas, PhD, MA
Email: [email protected]
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, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN
Assistant Professor
Phone: 443-287-4503
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Minority aging; pain; women’s health
Jennifer Wenzel, PhD, RN, CCM, FAAN
Associate Professor
Phone: 410-502-1114
Email: [email protected]
Research areas: Oncology, health disparities, health services research; managed care, case management, treatment decision making; computer-assisted qualitative data analysis
Rebecca J. Wright, PhD, BSC (HONS)
Assistant Professor
Phone: 410-955-7763
Email: [email protected]
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 Pomeroy
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.
Rhonda Smith Wright
Rhonda’s current work examines associations between neighborhood-level structures such as residential segregation and sickle cell disease pain outcomes. Her research interests are informed by over ten years as a public health professional working in administration, nursing, and education. Rhonda earned her BA at the University of Pennsylvania, MHSA at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her MSN from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate and Public Health Nursing Clinical Lab Instructor.
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.