- Apply
- Visit
- Give
- Ask
Ask Admissions
- Connect
Laura Samuel, PhD, MSN, RN

Specialties and Expertise
- Aging
- Chronic Care
- Disabilities
- Disparities
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Quantitative Research Methods/stats
- Research Design
- Social Determinants of Health
Overview
Laura Samuel is committed to addressing socioeconomic disparities. Much of her early research investigated aspects of the neighborhood and household environments that may influence health disparities. Her current research examines the pathways that link low income and financial strain to physiologic aging. This includes research investigating the health impact of policies and programs related to economic well-being for low-income households. Her research interests stem from her clinical experience as a family nurse practitioner. As a nurse practitioner, she regularly witnessed the myriad ways that a lack of financial resources can be detrimental to health. Through her current research, she seeks to advance health equity for low-income individuals and families.
Additional Resources
Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.
-
Videos
-
Publications/Research
Samuel, L.J., Szanton, S.L., Fedarko, N.S., Simonsick, E.M. (In Press). Leveraging naturally occurring variation in financial stress to examine associations with inflammatory burden among older adults. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Samuel, L.J., Szanton, S.L., Wolff, J.L., Ornstein, K.A., Parker, L.J., Gitlin, L.N., (2020). Socioeconomic disparities in six-year incident dementia in a nationally representative cohort of U.S. older adults: An examination of financial resources. BMC Geriatrics.
Samuel, L.J., Szanton, S.L., Seplaki, C.L., Cudjoe, T.K.M. Thorpe, R.J., Agree, E.M. (2019). Longitudinal and reciprocal associations between financial strain, home characteristics and mobility in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. BMC Geriatrics, 19: 338. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1340-7.
Samuel, L.J., Szanton, S.L., Cahill, R., Wolff, J.L., Ong, P., Zielinskie, G., Betley, C., (2018). Does the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program affect hospital utilization among older adults? The case of Maryland. Population Health Management, 21(2), 88-95. doi: 10.1089/pop.2017.0055.
Samuel, L. J., Roth, D. L., Schwartz, B. S., Thorpe, R. J., & Glass, T. A. (2018). Socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and diurnal cortisol trajectories in middle-aged and older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 73 (3), 468–476. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbw080.
-
Awards/Honors
Lawrence W. Green Paper of the Year Award for 2015, Health Education & Behavior
2009 Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nurses