Alumni


Kate de Medeiros graduated in May 2006. Kate now works as a research scientist at UMBC’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and is the Associate Director of UMBC’s Center on Aging Studies. Kate is also an Assistant Professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Kelly Niles-Yokum, MPA, PhD. Kellly Niles-Yokum is currently an Assistant Professor of Gerontology in the Behavioral Sciences Department at York College of Pennsylvania. In addition she is the Managing Editor of Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. As a gerontology faculty member she teaches Policy Planning for an Aging Society at Worcester State College. Kelly graduated from the program in 2006. Her dissertation was, “Older Adults and Consumer-Direction: Factors That Play a Role in Choice and Control.” Her research interests include issues related to rural aging including supporting rural caregivers, and factors that influence personal control in later life.
Andrea Rubin is currently working at Maryland Department of Aging in the Department of Housing (waiver services). She graduated in December 2006 after defending her dissertation, "Keeping the Back Door Closed: Barriers to Community Reintegration for Working Age and Older Adults with Disabilities."
Dan Van Dussen graduated in December 2006 and is now works an Assistant Professor at Youngstown State University. He teaches Introductory Sociology in the Sociology/Anthropology Department and his primary responsibility is to build a gerontology major.
Quincy Samus, graduated May 2007, is an Instructor (tenure-track) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research interests include the epidemiology and care of dementia and other mental health disorders in both the long term care and community setting. She has worked for several years as the project coordinator of the Maryland Assisted Living Study (MD-AL), an epidemiological study of the prevalence, incidence, and management of dementia and mental health disorders in the assisted living setting. She is the principal investigator on the Maximizing Independence at Home-Phase II (MIND at Home) study, a new randomized controlled trial designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an innovative, pro-active case identification and care coordination intervention for community-dwelling elders with dementia. Dr. Samus also has a joint appointment in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and is currently teaching one course, the Psychology of Aging.
Jian Ye graduated December 2006 after defending her dissertation on, “Access to Care and Functional Change Among Aged Medicare Beneficiaries with Parkinson’s Disease: A multilevel analysis”. Along with her PhD in Gerontology Jian earned an MS in Epidemiology. She is now working as an epidemiologist with Pfizer.
Magda Tolea graduated from the Gerontology PhD Program in summer 2007. Magda has a 2-year postdoctoral position with the National Institute on Aging under Dr. Luigi Ferrucci’s supervision. There she has been involved in several research projects on mobility issues and will continue to accrue research experience and develop a research agenda. She has also been teaching part time at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her long-term career goals include research in the area of physical function as well as teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Daniel Andersen graduated May 2008. He now works as a Research Analyst at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Survey and Certification Group of the Division of Nursing Homes in Baltimore, MD.
Rebecca Perron, graduated May 2008, is a Research Analyst in Strategic Issues Research at AARP in Washington, DC. The research focuses on issues related to workers, aged 50+, (i.e the Best Employers project) and the research is used to promote workplace policies and procedures that allow older workers to remain in the workforce until they choose to retire and in the manner they choose.
Loretta Ayd-Simpson has just graduated in December 2008. More to come about Loretta.
Joanna Schmidt graduated in May 2009. She is currently a Data Analyst at Integrity Management Services, LLC (IMS). This is a health care consulting firm in the Washington D.C. area, a subsidiary of Strategic Management Systems, Inc., specializing in assisting government organizations detect fraud and abuse in their programs. Joanna analyzes Medicare and Medicaid health care claims data through multivariate methods to detect fraud and abuse in within various aspects of Medicare including both Part A and Part B. In addition, she conducts sampling and projections for investigations into fraud for a Zone Program Integrity Contractor.
Kim DeMichele graduated in December 2009 after defending her dissertation entitled, "Cultural Aspects of Control: Expectations and Experiences in Old Age." Along with her PhD in Gerontology, Kim also earned in MA in Applied Sociology. She now works as a program analyst at the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services in Baltimore, MD, where her work focuses on health care quality in rural contexts.
Sunny Kang Is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Administration at the University of Michigan – Flint. She will primarily teach Health Administration, Health Policy, and Gerontology in the undergraduate programs and Health Administration tracks in the MPA and MBA programs.
Maria-Theresa C. Okafor graduated July 2010. Maria is currently a Research Associate at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Israel Cross graduated in August 2010. He now works as a Health Insurance Specialist at the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services in Baltimore, MD, in the Division of Survey and Certification where his work focuses on conducting statistical analyses using nursing home data in partnership with individuals and teams.
Sarah Fogler graduated in August 2010. Sarah now works as a health insurance specialist at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Baltimore, MD, where she works to develop and implement health care policies relevant to the aged and individuals with disabilities. Her work focuses specifically on issues related to chronic care policy, long-term supports and services, and dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility.
Tommy Piggee worked as a GRA for the first 4 years in the program on a supplemental grant that is now his dissertation, “Predictors of Transition among Older Assisted Living Residents.” Tommy’s dissertation explores how stability or changes in resident status affects transition out of AL. He graduated in May 2011. Following graduation, he seeks a post-doctorate fellowship with emphasis on psychosocial affects of chronic co-morbidities. Tommy’s final goals are to teach and conduct research centered on health indicators and environmental fit.
Katherine Giuriceo graduated May 2011. Katherine is working at Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging and Health where she is the project director for the Baltimore Experience Corps Study. In this role she manages the research and operational activities of the research trial.
Katherine Marx For the past 7 years Katie has worked full-time for the Erickson Foundation, part of Erickson Retirement Communities, as a senior research assistant. She coordinates a longitudinal study. The VIVA study is a 10-year study with over 350 participants. VIVA examines successful aging in a continuing care retirement community through a series of wellness screening. In addition, she assists on several other studies that center on older drives, falls and balance, and cognition. Katei graduate in August 2011. Her dissertation focused on the differences in men’s knowledge of osteoporosis by race and risk factors.
Sarah Canham is a recent graduate and a Maryland native whose interest in gerontology developed during her undergraduate years and during an internship with a hospice organization. Through her experiences she has developed a strong interest in substance use and abuse in older populations, with specific interests in prescription medication dependence. Her overall goal as a gerontologist is to improve the quality of life for older adults and help to eliminate the negative stereotypes of older populations. She recently completed her dissertation, "The experience of benzodiazepine use and perceived dependence among old women: A cultural analysis" which was supported by a pre-doctoral dissertation grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Sarah is now a postdoctoral trainee in the Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program housed in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.