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Valerie Cotter, DrNP, MSN, RN

FAANP, FAAN, AGPCNP-BC, CRNP
Associate Professor
Valerie Cotter
410-955-7758
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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.

  • 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

  • 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