Current Funded Projects

Carolyn Clevenger, gerontological nurse practitioner, is Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the Gerontological Society of America, and the American Academy of Nursing. Her research focuses the geriatric nurse practitioner workforce, psychoeducation programs for dementia family caregivers, and new models of care.

Clevenger is the Founder and Director of the Emory Integrated Memory Care practice. The IMC is a nurse-led primary care practice for people living with dementia with both a clinic location and in select senior living communities. The new model of care has been recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, an Age Friendly Health System, a Best Practice exemplar for patient- and family-centered care, and a Best Program for Caregiving.

Dr. Clevenger has led or collaborated on a variety of psychoeducation programs for dementia family caregivers including Savvy and Tele-Savvy Caregiver, Caregiving during Crisis, Caregiving While Black, and most recently, Caregiver as Navigator.

She earned her BSN from West Virginia University, her MSN from Emory University, and her DNP from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Dr. Maria Quiñones is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University or Rochester School of Nursing. She directs the Latino Engagement subcore of the National Institute on Aging-funded Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties and Aging Research. The overarching goal of Dr. Quiñones’ program of research is to increase the availability of culturally attuned interventions for Latino dementia caregivers to improve cognitive and mental health-related outcomes. A key focus of her work is on mechanism-based intervention development and testing aimed at reducing Latino dementia caregiver health disparities. She also leads work on expanding and implementing systematic and community-engaged approaches to cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions to fit the needs and characteristics of the Latino culture to improve access to and delivery of care. A secondary line of work for Dr. Quiñones centers on neurobiological mechanisms in cognitive and mental health outcomes, specifically, understanding how neurobiological, inflammatory, and emotional regulation mechanisms impact cognitive and mental health outcomes across the lifespan.

Dr. Alicia Hong is a Professor at the George Mason University Department of Health Administration and Policy. Her current research is focused on how to effectively apply health information technology in disease prevention and health promotion, particularly on chronic disease management and caregiving. She employs community-engaged user-centered design to develop culturally tailored programs, integrating low-cost digital tools with clinical care to deliver personalized programs that are easy to adopt and sustain in underserved communities, ultimately reducing health disparities. Previously, Dr. Hong has worked with immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, people living with HIV, cancer survivors, and older adults with multiple chronic conditions in interdisciplinary and community-engaged research projects. Through this pilot grant, she’s excited to develop the innovative social media-based caregiving intervention for an underserved population of Chinese American dementia caregivers.

Candace L. Kemp is a Professor of Gerontology at Georgia State University where she teaches and conducts research on aging and the life course, family and social relationships, and long-term care. Much of her recent work is funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health and examines formal and informal care work, partnerships, and networks, and seeks to improve quality of life for older adults and those who support them, especially persons living with dementia and those at end of life, and their myriad care partners. Dr. Kemp is a long-standing member of Georgia’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Advisory Council, an editorial board member for the Journal of Applied Gerontology, and a former associate editor for the Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. She also is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Victor W. Marshall Fellow, a status awarded by the Southern Gerontological Society. Dr. Kemp earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Shih-Yin Lin is a Senior Research Scientist at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is currently Senior Research Scientist/Project Director for Aliviado Health at the Harford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, where she provides scientific and operational leadership on an NIH-funded, 25-site pragmatic clinical trial that tests the effectiveness of the Aliviado Dementia Care program (PI: Brody). Dr. Lin received a PhD in Nursing Science and MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington, an MM in Music Therapy from Michigan State University, and a BFA from National Taiwan Normal University. While pursuing her doctorate, Lin received additional research training through a T32 Aging and Informatics training program and a TL1 Multidisciplinary Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program. Dr. Lin received postdoctoral training at the University of Washington School of Medicine through a T15 Biomedical and Health Informatics Training Program. Dr. Lin has extensive experience working with persons living with dementia. Before becoming a PhD-trained scientist, Lin worked as a full-time music therapist for five years, providing on average, 1,000 group and individual therapy sessions annually in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day centers, senior centers, veteran homes, retirement communities, medical centers, and private residences, seeing approximately 200 persons living with dementia weekly. Her research interests include dementia friendly communities, delirium superimposed on dementia, non-pharmacological interventions and technologies for older adults and their care partners. Dr. Lin is a recipient of the 2022 Network for Investigation on Delirium: Unifying Scientists (NIDUS) II Collaborative Award. Dr. Yong Choi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Health Informatics Division at the University of California Davis, School of Medicine. Choi received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University, his master’s degree in Public Health from Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and his doctorate in Biomedical and Health Informatics from the University of Washington. Dr. Choi’s doctoral training focused on the design and evaluation of digital health technologies to support the aging-in-place of older adults by addressing their own needs and the needs of their family caregivers. He is committed to engaging individuals and families to inform the design, development, and evaluation of technology tools. Dr. Choi’s research has important implications for the design of digital health solutions that are easily adopted by older adults and their family caregivers.

Dr. Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education at University of Washington School of Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor of the UW Information School (iSchool), and an affiliate of the UW eScience Institute and UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology. Her research expertise includes the design, development, and evaluation of digital and social technologies for health management of complex, chronic conditions. Areas of particular interest include cognitive-behavioral interventions, “holistic” analysis of data using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and stakeholder engagement in the design of supportive technologies. She is also actively engaged in research to better characterize the lived experiences of older adults and their families with dementia. Dr.  Zaslavsky is an Associate Professor in the Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics department at the University of Washington, School of Nursing. Dr. Zaslavsky’s research focuses on digital behavioral intervention for vulnerable and older populations, including older adults with frailty, multimorbidity, and dementia. He is a recipient of multiple federal grants and published about 100 peer-review publications. Since 2017, Dr. Zaslavsky has been a core member of the interdisciplinary Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering Center (BRiTE) at the University of Washington, School of Medicine, which is dedicated to improving behavioral health through technology.

Associate Professor, College of Social Work, University of Kentucky

Dr. Allison Gibson is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky's College of Social Work. Dr. Gibson’s academic training and clinical social work practice informs her work with aging individuals and their families from a biopsychosocial perspective. Her research aims are to develop interventions that empower individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their family caregivers of to improve health and well-being, quality of life, and to support outcomes to age in place. As a former rural county social worker, she is passionate about improving access to caregiver education and resources for families in rural areas. Dr. Gibson is affiliate faculty with UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and the UK Graduate Center for Gerontology.

Assistant Professor, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky

Dr. Elizabeth Rhodus is an Assistant Professor at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Department of Behavioral Science and is an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Health Equity Transformation at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Rhodus has over 10 years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, predominately serving rural communities. She sought doctoral training in Gerontology specifically to enhance evidence-based interventions for adults with cognitive impairment and their care partners. Dr. Rhodus completed postdoctoral training at the University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center supported by the NIH/NIA T32 “Training in Translational Research in Alzheimer's and Related Dementias” with emphasis in ADRD clinical trial design. Her current work is centered around the development of behavioral assessment and interventions to support health equity and quality of life while aging at home despite living with dementia.

Lindsay Prizer, PhD, MSW, LCSW is an Assistant Professor in the Emory University School of Medicine’s Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics. She is a licensed clinical social worker, and she holds a PhD in public health. Dr. Prizer serves as the Primary Care Core Lead for Georgia Memory Net, a state-funded project redesigning the Georgia healthcare system to improve early screening and diagnosis of dementia throughout the state. She is also the Care Partner Programming Lead of the Cognitive Empowerment Program, an evidence-based lifestyle program for persons with mild cognitive impairment and their care partners. Dr. Prizer was one of 27 lead authors internationally for the 2018 Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations. She currently serves as a Board Member for the Georgia POLST Collaborative and as Faculty for the Alzheimer’s Association’s LINC-AD Research Consortium.

Professor and Nancy Smith Hurd Chair in Geriatric Nursing and Aging Studies, UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing, Caring for the Caregiver Program

Carole White, PhD, RN is Professor and Nancy Smith Hurd Chair in Geriatric Nursing and Aging Studies at the School of Nursing, UT Health San Antonio. She leads the Caring for the Caregiver, a program supporting family caregivers to persons living with dementia through education, research, and community engagement. She is nationally recognized for her research with family caregivers, with her research focused on optimizing outcomes for family caregivers of stroke survivors and persons living with dementia, through development of interventions and translation of evidence-based interventions into practice. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. White teaches in the doctoral nursing programs at the School of Nursing.

https://utcaregivers.org/

Postdoctoral Research at the School of Nursing's Caring for the Caregiver Program at UT Health San Antonio

Kylie Meyer, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at the UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing Caring for the Caregiver Program. She received doctoral training at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, where she examined online programs to better support the informational needs of family caregivers. Prior to her doctoral training, Dr. Meyer completed master’s-level Gerontological training on a U.S. Fulbright at the University of Southampton. As current TST TL1 postdoctoral trainee, her research focuses on building the evidence-based for translatable intervention programs to support caregivers' health and quality of care within families.

Leslie Nan Burridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease Research, Movement Disorders Neurologist

Jori Fleisher, MD MSCE is the Leslie Nan Burridge Endowed Faculty Scholar in Parkinson’s Disease Research and an Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. She is a movement disorders neurologist who directs the Rush Lewy Body Dementia Association Research Center of Excellence, CurePSP Center of Care, and the Rush Advanced Interdisciplinary Movement Disorders Supportive Care (AIMS) Clinic. Dr. Fleisher received her Master’s of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she completed neurology and global health equities residencies and movement disorders fellowship. Dr. Fleisher has additional training in health services research, palliative care, and implementation science. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, foundations, and philanthropy, Dr. Fleisher has several studies underway focused on interdisciplinary home visits, telemedicine, interprofessional education, and peer mentoring to improve the lives of patients and families living with advanced movement disorders. Dr. Fleisher is a graduate of the American Academy of Neurology Emerging Leaders Forum, a graduate and faculty member in the Palatucci Advocacy and Leadership Forum, and a frequent speaker for local and national patient educational events.

Professor, Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus

Dr. Jordan P. Lewis, Unangax, from the Native Village of Naknek, is a Professor with the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team and the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus. He is a cross-cultural community psychologist (PhD), social worker (BSW, MSW), a credential professional gerontologist (CPG), and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. His research has identified indigenous cultural generativity as an important tool for Indigenous Elders’ health and wellbeing, as well as a key component of my Alaska Native Model of Successful Aging. Dr. Lewis’s work has important implications for the wellbeing of Alaska Native and American Indian older adults, including those with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, their caregivers, and family and community members. His work has the potential to guide significant future research in the area of Indigenous health and dementia, with generalizability to aging theory among all marginalized groups.

Assistant Professor Garland School of Social Work Baylor University

Dr. Jocelyn Shealy McGee is an assistant professor at the Baylor University Garland School of Social Work. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fuller. Postdoctoral fellowship training was undertaken in Clinical Neuropsychology at Baylor College of Medicine (APPCN accredited). A second postdoctoral fellowship was completed in Older Adult Research at the Aging Treatment Studies Program at Stanford University School of Medicine and the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System.

Dr. McGee is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section and the past Co-Chair of the GSA Alzheimer’s Disease Research Interest Group. Her international interdisciplinary research team aims to develop culturally sensitive psychosocial clinical interventions for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other complex chronic health conditions through the integration of community-based participatory and indigenous research methodologies. Dr. McGee has contributed to the development, implementation, and evaluation of several interventions over the course of her career such as the Resources for Enhancing Caregiver Health (REACH) II intervention, the STAR VA program (which has been implemented across the VA system), and the En-Rich intervention (Enhancing Rural Interventions for Caregiver Health) which is a cognitive-behaviorally oriented telepsychology intervention.

In addition to the recently awarded Emory Roybal Center study titled, “Dementia Caregiver Mastery Using Cultural Practices” (Lewis, PI), Dr. McGee has a study aimed at better understanding the role of spirituality, positive psychology, health, & well-being in people with early-stage dementia and their family members with close to 200 participants. Additionally, she was nominated and selected for the “Spirit of Hope” Award by Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe (Time’s 100 Most Influential People for 2014) and Pros for Africa for her efforts in Malawi, Africa supporting grandmothers and other Elders who are serving as the primary caregivers of children whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS and other preventable/treatable diseases. In the summer of 2020, she served as a consultant for a Haitian NGO to develop a telepsychology program to address to needs of the Haitian people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Emory University

Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, is a nurse with over 20 years of experience creating culturally relevant programs to reduce health disparities for underserved populations. She is a Professor and the Karen and Ronald Hermann Distinguished Chair in Caregiver Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Southern Gerontological Society, and Gerontological Society of America.  She is an active member of the Board of Directors for the Southern Gerontological Society and the Gerontological Society of America. She also serves on the Leadership Core of the Public Health Center of Excellence in Dementia Caregiving at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Epps’s research involves evidence-based practices for promoting quality of life for African Americans with dementia and their family caregivers and exploring how religious activities and spiritual connectedness can promote meaningful engagement among persons with dementia.  Dr. Epps is the Founder of Alter (Dementia), the only nurse-led, dementia-friendly congregation program, and she oversees several psychoeducational and faith-based research projects, such as “Dementia-Friendly Online Worship” and “Caregiving while Black.”  She is a 2022 recipient of the Innovations in Alzheimer’s Caregiving Award from the Family Caregiver Alliance. Dr. Epps’s goal is to place culturally tailored, evidence-based programs and interventions in the hands of those who need them. Carolyn Clevenger, gerontological nurse practitioner, is Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University.  She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the Gerontological Society of America, and the American Academy of Nursing. Her research focuses the geriatric nurse practitioner workforce, psychoeducation programs for dementia family caregivers, and new models of care.

Clevenger is the Founder and Director of the Emory Integrated Memory Care practice. The IMC is a nurse-led primary care practice for people living with dementia with both a clinic location and in select senior living communities. The new model of care has been recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, an Age Friendly Health System, a Best Practice exemplar for patient- and family-centered care, and a Best Program for Caregiving. 

Dr. Clevenger has led or collaborated on a variety of psychoeducation programs for dementia family caregivers including Savvy and Tele-Savvy Caregiver, Caregiving during Crisis, Caregiving While Black, and most recently, Caregiver as Navigator.

She earned her BSN from West Virginia University, her MSN from Emory University, and her DNP from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Associate Dean for Clinical and Community Partnerships

Dr. Clevenger, gerontological nurse practitioner, is the Associate Dean for Clinical and Community Partnerships at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She is a nationally recognized educational leader in advanced practice nursing and in geriatrics and gerontology. She is a Past President of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Gerontological Society of America, and contributor to the AANP Certification Program. She is Clinical Director of the nurse-led patient centered medical home for people living with dementia, the Integrated Memory Care Clinic (IMCC). IMCC represents an innovative clinical model that provides memory and primary care in a single integrated model for people living with dementia and their care partners.

www.emoryhealthcare.org/imcc

AIM 1

In collaboration with PPA caregiver advisors and clinical experts at the Northwestern Mesulum Center, develop and refine a prototype distance-delivered psychoeducation program (modeled on the Tele-Savvy Program) for caregivers of persons living with language variant FTD (primary progressive aphasia-PPA).

AIM 2

Assess the acceptability and usability of the refined prototype and its preliminary efficacy in improving caregiver mastery and mood and care recipient quality of life in PPA families.

AIM 1

Create a LGB-focused caregiver intervention program, to assess the stressors and unique needs of LGB caregivers of persons living with neurocognitive illnesses. Based on existing research, we hypothesize that, while the program will incorporate day-to-day and mood and behavior guidance components of Savvy, the LGB caregiver program will include learning objectives and teaching strategies focused on themes of physical, interpersonal, financial, social, and environmental stressors specific to LGB caregivers.

AIM 2

Assess, in a pilot test of the program with 30 LGB caregivers, the acceptability of the program and its preliminary efficacy in improving caregiver stress, mood and mastery and care recipient quality of life. This pilot will involve the collection of clinical indices (medical and medication history, height, weight, and blood pressure), and blood (plasma) from all 30 LGB caregivers, pre and post interventions to measure markers of inflammation influenced by stress in LGB caregivers, and stored for future innovative analyses.