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Valerie Cotter, DrNP, MSN, RN

Specialties and Expertise
- Aging
- Dementia
- Gerontology
- Interprofessional
- Palliative Care
Overview
Valerie T. Cotter, DrNP, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University with a joint appointment in the School of Nursing and School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She brings four decades of experience specializing in gerontology and conducts ongoing research in aging, dementia, gerontology and palliative care. Passionate about the psycho-social implications of a dementia diagnosis on her patients and families, Dr. Cotter continues to advocate for individualized patient care through her work. A fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and American Academy of Nursing (AAN), Dr. Cotter has received many honors and awards, and has a notable list of publications, including the Journal for Nurse Practitioners, American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Dementia, and Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. In 2009, she was named Volunteer of the Year for the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association for starting the first specialized support group for people with early-stage dementia.
Additional Resources
Below are selected resources. For more information, please see full CV.
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Publications/Research
Sloan, D.H., Hannum, S.M., DeGroot, L., Dy, S.M., Waldfogel, J., Chyr, L.C., Heughan, J.A., Zhang, A., Wilson, R.F., Yuan, C.T., Wu, D.S., Robinson, K.A., Cotter, V.T. (2021). Advance care planning shared decision-making tools for non-cancer chronic serious illness: A mixed method systematic review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. [Epub ahead of print]. doi.org/10.1177/1049909121995416
Dy, S.M., Waldfogel, J.M., Sloan, D.H., Cotter, V., Hannum, S., Heughan, J., Chyr, L., Wilson, R., Ahang, A., Mahabare, D., Wu, D.S., & Robinson, K.A. (2021). Integrating palliative care in ambulatory care of non-cancer serious chronic illness. Comparative Effectiveness Review No. 237. (Prepared by the Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-2015-00006-I.) AHRQ Publication No. 21-EHC002. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; February 2021. https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/cer-237-palliative-care-ambulatory.pdf
Regier, N.G., Cotter, V.T., Hansen, B.R., Taylor, J.L., & Wright, R.J. (2021). Place of death for persons with and without cognitive impairment in the United States. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. [Epub ahead of print]. doi.org/10.1111/jgs.16979
Liss, J., Seleri Marques Assunção, S., Cummings, J., Atri, A., Geldmacher, D., Candela, S., Devanand, D., Fillit, H., Susman, J., Mintzer, J., Bittner, T., Brunton, S., Kerwin, D., Jackson, W. C., Small, G., Grossberg, G., Clevenger, C., Cotter, V., Stefanacci, R., Wise-Brown, A., & Sabbagh, M. (2021). Practical recommendations for timely, accurate diagnosis of symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (MCI and Dementia) in primary care: A review and synthesis. Journal of Internal Medicine. [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1111/joim.13244
Wolff, J.L, Scerpella, D., Cockey, K., Hussain, N., Funkhouser, T., Echavarria, D., Aufill, J., Guo, A., Sloan, D.H., Dy, S.M., Smith, K.M., and SHARING Choices Investigators. (2020). SHARING Choices: A pilot study to engage family in advance care planning of older adults with and without cognitive impairment in the primary care context. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care. [Epub ahead of print]. doi.org/10.1177/1049909120978771
Seaman, J.B., Lakin, J.R., Anderson, E., Bernacki, R., Candrian, C., Cotter, V.T., deSanto-Medeya, S., Epstein, A.S., Kestenbaum, A., Izumi, S., Sumser, B., Tjia, J., & Hurd, C. on behalf of the Sojourns Scholar Interprofessional Working Group. (2020). Interdisciplinary or interprofessional: Why terminology in teamwork matters to hospice and palliative care. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 1157-1158. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0299
Cotter VT, Hasan M, Ahn J, Budhathoki, C, Oh, E. (2019). A practice improvement project to increase advance care planning in a dementia specialty practice. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 36(9), 831-835. doi: 10.1177/1049909119841544
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Awards/Honors
2018 Penn Nursing Alumni Award for Outstanding Leadership, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
2017 Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing
2014 One of 15 Top Adult Gerontology Professors, Nurse Practitioner School
2011 Appreciation Award, Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter’s Early Stage Initiatives
2004 Fellow, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
1997 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania