Student Profiles


Eighth Year Students

Tommy Piggee Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BS: Health Education, Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock MA: Gerontology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Tommy 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. In his fifth year he was an Erickson Fellow and performed the cognitive assessments, balance testing, bone strength measures and other physiological measurements. 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.

Seventh Year Students

Kim DeMichele Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Psychology, Utica College MA: Applied Sociology, UMBC Kim is currently finishing her dissertation, a cultural analysis of personal control in old age. She previously worked with Dr. Robert Rubinstein on an ethnographic study exploring the meaning of suffering in old age. As part of that study, she interviewed elders, age 80 and older, in an effort to learn more about their lives and life experiences. Her dissertation work extends that study and uses qualitative data drawn from it. She is currently employed as a program analyst at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services where she works on several projects that focus on health care quality in the rural context.

Katherine Giuriceo Track: Policy BSW: Social Work, UMBC MA: Counseling Psychology, Loyola College MSW: Social Work, Ohio State Katherine Giuriceo is a part time student and works as a Sr. Research Program Manager with the Baltimore Experience Corps Study at Johns Hopkins University in the Center on Aging and Health. In this role she oversees the IRB submissions for the trial along with reporting to the DSMB, NIA and other funders as needed. The Baltimore Experience Corps Study is dedicated to examining the impact of high intensity volunteering in Baltimore City Public Schools on the health of older adults as well as the benefits to the children in the EC schools. She is in the policy track with research interests in the transition from work to retirement and a concentration in health care policy.

Thomas Shaffer Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Business Admin, Univ. of New Haven MHS: Hlth Policy & Mangement, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health As a research analyst at The Peter Lamy Center for Drug Therapy and Aging located within the School of Pharmacy, Tom is immersed in a rich environment where different aspects of the provision and use of prescribed medications in the elderly is the focus of research. His dissertation work involves looking at how changes in drug regimens for residents in institutional settings are associated with adverse outcomes such as hospitalizations. Not very far behind his interest in research is developing more methodological savvy and better understanding how to develop practical and relevant applications from research findings. Tom plans on staying involved with, or lead, research at either the Federal or University level. Teaching at the University level is also a natural fit.

Sixth Year Students

Katherine Marx Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Psychology, Duquesne University MPH: Public Health, University of Maryland College Park 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. Currently she is a part-time student and hopes to do work in the areas of Health Education, Osteoporosis, Cognition and Caregiving. Her dissertation will focus on the differences in men’s knowledge of osteoporosis by race and risk factors.

Leanne Clark Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Psychology and Gerontology, Miami University MGS: Gerontological Studies, Miami University Leanne comes from Ohio, where she spent six years at Miami University earning undergraduate degrees in psychology and gerontology, and a Master of Gerontological Studies. While at UMBC, Leanne has worked closely with Dr. Leslie Morgan on a federally-funded grant investigating quality in assisted living, and has taught Sociology of Aging. She is currently working at IMPAQ, International as a Gerontology Research Assistant on the National Balancing Indicators Contract, where her duties include collaborating with CMS grantees to develop a list of indicators that will determine states’ progress in rebalancing long-term care funding toward home and community based services. Leanne is completing her dissertation research on the impact of engagement in informal care upon work outcomes for Maryland RNs. She is passionate about being a part of the next generation of gerontology scholars and applying her education and experiences to help the nation embrace present and future generations of older adults. Leanne is active in the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education and the Gerontological Society of America. In the future, she would like to pursue a career in academia and research, and continue leadership involvement in professional organizations.

Tesfamichael Mehari Track: Epidemiology MD: Addis Ababa University MPH: Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Tesfa is originally from Eritrea and worked as a missionary physician in Kenya and Tanzania where a large portion of his patients were elderly. Once in the United States he earned an MPH, concentrating in mental health. He is currently on a leave of absence from the program working on his psychiatric residency.

Fifth Year Students

Sarah Canham Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences B.A.: Human Studies, St. Mary's College of Maryland M.A.: Applied Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Sarah is a Maryland native and her interest in gerontology developed during her undergraduate years and through an internship with a hospice organization. After spending 3 years collecting data and writing reports for the Center for Substance Abuse Research in College Park, MD she moved to a clinical setting at University of Maryland, Baltimore where she managed a database for a Parkinson's disease group. Through her experiences she has developed a strong interest in gender differences in older adults and the gender-specific risks of substance abuse and suicide, as well as older adult activities, improving the quality of life for older adults, and the negative stereotypes of older populations. She was recently awarded a pre-doctoral dissertation grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support her dissertation, "The experience of benzodiazepine dependence among old women: A cultural analysis."

Maria C. Okafor Track: Epidemiology BS: Psychology, Texas A&M University MS: Clinical gerontology, Baylor University Maria first gained exposure to the field of gerontology as a student fellow working on research involving aging bone loss in animal models. Upon completion of her graduate studies, Maria worked as a Geriatric Consultant and later as a Coordinator for an Area Agency on Aging. During that time she carried a heavy client case load that consisted primarily of low-income, disadvantaged, and minority elders, many of whom suffered from diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic diseases. It is her work with these individuals that fueled her desire to pursue a doctorate in Gerontology. Maria’s research interests include the epidemiology of aging and diabetes in immigrant populations and cultural competency and evidence based health promotion programs for immigrant elders.

Janet Schreck Track: Epidemiology BA: Speech Pathology/Audiology, Loyola College in MD MS: Speech Pathology, Loyola College in MD For the past 15 years, Janet has worked as a speech-language pathologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of cognitive, communicative and swallowing disorders in older adults. She is a part-time student and works full-time as the Director and chief administrative officer of the Loyola Clinical Centers, a multidisciplinary training center for graduate students in Education, Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology and Psychology at Loyola College in Maryland. Janet’s clinical and research interests include cognitive-communication changes and disorders in older adults, tertiary prevention, and rehabilitation of cognitive-communication disorders associated with aging.

Fourth Year Students

Shoshana Ballew Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Psychology and Sociology, Case Western Reserve University Shoshana grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and arrived straight from her undergraduate degree at Case Western in Cleveland. During her first year she worked on several different projects creating databases, a manual of operations, and scanning data. In her second year and continuing into her third year Shoshana was an Erickson Fellow working on the VIVA! project. Other projects at Erickson in which she was involved focused on driving education and the knowledge of osteoporosis in men. She is now working at UMB on a variety of projects with Dr. Denise Orwig and Dr. Charlene Quinn. Shoshana is currently working on her dissertation focusing on the positive and negative aspects of caregiving and functional health over time. She is also interested in issues surrounding falls and fear of falling. Her career goals include research as well as the possibility of teaching.

Israel Cross Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Biology, UMBC MA: Sociology, UMBC As a Pre-doctoral Fellow in the National Institutes on Aging’s Intramural Research Program, Israel conducts applied gerontology research combining his training from both sociology and biology degrees. Using data from the panel study: “Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span” (HANDLS), he plans to continue studying correlates of social status and their role in health disparities in aging adults.

Sarah Fogler Track: Policy B.S.: Psychology, McDaniel College M.A.: Psychology/Aging track, Boston University Sarah works at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) where she works as a Project Officer for grants and demonstrations related to disabled and elderly health programs. Her work primarily focuses on transforming long-term care (LTC) systems across the states to promote home- and community-based services. Sarah’s doctoral work involves a state-level analysis of political and programmatic factors associated with Medicaid spending on nursing home care. Her future career goals include continued work as a Federal employee and policy research related to LTC supports and services for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Lynn Keimig Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: English, College of William & Mary MHA: Health Policy, Cornell University Lynn works in the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC on two studies funded by the National Institute on Aging: 1) Social Relationships in Residential Settings for Older Adults with Dr. Kevin Eckert, and 2) Generativity and Lifestyles of Older Women with Drs. Bob Rubinstein and Kate de Medeiros. Lynn began her career as a program analyst with the National Cancer Institute. Her research interests are in public health and aging, long-term care, health literacy, and cognitive functioning. Lynn’s career goals include research, teaching, and program development in aging services.

Third Year Students

Patrick Doyle Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences BA: Psychology, Rhode Island College Patrick was born and raised in a small town in Rhode Island. His interest in elder care was sparked at the early age of nine while volunteering in a local nursing home. Since that age Patrick has continued to work and volunteer in geriatric settings. As an undergraduate psychology and biology student at Rhode Island College he began to research the impact of medical labels on nursing home employees’ perceptions of older adults with dementia. As a first and second year student, Patrick worked with John Schumacher researching physician care in assisted living. Patrick now works with Kate de Medeiros at the Copper Ridge Institute on various research projects concerning dementia. Patrick’s aspiration is to revolutionize elder care through research, teaching, and hands-on care.

Susan Hannum Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences B.A.: Interdisciplinary Studies and Psychology, UMBC M.A.: Applied Sociology, UMBC Susan came to the doctoral program after working at Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health with Dr. Helen Black. There, she worked on a qualitative research project done in conjunction with Dr. Robert Rubinstein of UMBC that pertained to the experience of suffering amongst those over the age of 80. During her first two years in the program, Susan worked as a research fellow for the Erickson Foundation, where she worked with the VIVA! Project; a study of successful aging. This year, Susan will be transitioning to the Generativity and Lifestyles of Older Women (GLOW) project, where she hopes to further her knowledge of qualitative research. Her current personal research interests are primarily focused upon the experience of chronic illness amongst older adults.

Jennifer Lloyd Track: Epidemiology BA: Psychology/Sociology, Towson University MA: Sociology, UMBC After graduating with her BS, Jennifer worked for a U.S. Department of Justice clearinghouse, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, where she specialized in substance abuse and criminal justice issues. After three years in the field, Jennifer decided to go back to get her Master's in Applied Sociology at UMBC. While working on her Master's, she was the project coordinator for the neighborhood survey portion of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study with the National Institute on Aging. Upon graduation, Jennifer began teaching Introduction to Sociology and The Family courses at Towson University and UMBC. With a background in Sociology, Jennifer has an interest in studying inequality as it pertains to race, gender, and social class among aging populations. In her first year in the program, she worked with Dr. Bruce Stuart at the Peter Lamy Center using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data on prescription drug and Medicare spending among beneficiaries with chronic diseases. While continuing work with Dr. Stuart, she also began working on a study related to caregivers of hip fracture patients as well as other projects in the Epidemiology department during her second year in the Gerontology program as part of the Epidemiology trainee grant.

Amanda Peeples Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences B.A.: Sociology & Psychology, UMBC M.A.: Applied Sociology, UMBC While earning her MA degree, Amanda worked as a research assistant on a project with Dr. Robert Rubinstein examining older adults’ experiences of suffering over the life course. This hands-on experience in doing research among an aged population fueled Amanda’s interest in continuing her education in the field of gerontology. Amanda currently works on the Social Relations in Residential Settings (SRRS) grant with Dr. J. Kevin Eckert. The SRRS project explores social interactions and attitudes towards aging in senior housing communities of various types. Her goal is to pursue a career in research, and possibly to teach at the university level.

Melissa Rice Track: Epidemiology BA: Sociology/Criminal Justice, Mount St. Mary's College MA: Applied Sociology, UMBC For the past 3 years, Melissa has worked on the "Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span" (HANDLS) study. The HANDLS study is a multidisciplinary, prospective epidemiologic longitudinal study examining the influences and interaction of race and SES on the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health disparities among minority and lower SES subgroups. She works under the Intramural Research Training Award from the National Institute on Aging to work as a research trainee. Currently, Melissa is in charge of the second wave of HANDLS. She tracks participants both by telephone and in the field, and administers personality questionnaires. More recently, Melissa has been working with her mentor to examine relations of depressive symptoms to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in healthy, community-dwelling older adults at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center. In her second year, Melissa will continue to work on the HANDLS study and begin writing manuscripts exploring the relations of depressive symptoms to diabetes and cardiovascular health.

Second Year Students

Karen Johnson Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences B.A.: Mathematics,Cedarville College M.S.: Math Science/Stats, Virginia Commonwealth University Karen is a part-time student who works full-time as a senior research analyst at The Hilltop Institute, a UMBC-affiliated research center for health policy. Karen loves working with data and has extensive experience in the analysis of large surveys and medical encounter, claims, and assessment datasets. Karen’s major area of interest is in utilizing available data for quality improvement purposes. Her current research interests include chronic illness, rural health issues, and coordination of care within and between clinical settings.

Shannon O’Connor Track: Policy B.A.: Psychology, North Carolina State University M.A.: Sociology, North Carolina Central University Originally from Annapolis, Shannon attended North Carolina State. During her graduate career, Shannon served as a graduate assistant for undergraduate sociological research methods courses and an editorial assistant for Sociation Today, the official journal of the North Carolina Sociological Association. During her first year in this program Shannon was an RA for Dr. Charlene Quinn and worked on the WellDoc Study which is testing a phone based system to chart blood sugar levels to improve diabetes management. In her second year she will be working with Dr. Marc Hochberg on the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), an NIH-funded longitudinal observational cohort study designed to identify and validate biomarkers for the development and progression of knee OA. Shannon’s own research interests include racial and ethnic differences in access and continuity of health care for elderly patients with chronic, obesity-related diseases and impacts of immigration and health care policy on health outcomes for immigrant populations, specifically those of Hispanic ethnicity.

Lisa Reider Track: Epidemiology BS: Biology, Washington College MHS: Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health My primary research interests include studying the short and long term biological and functional effects of osteoporosis in men and women. I am particularly interested in the implications of changes in body composition with age for bone health, frailty and disability. I’ve worked closely with Dr. Tom Beck in the Department of Radiology at Johns Hopkins University in the analysis and interpretation of study results examining the effects of osteoporosis treatment, diet, hormonal influences and exercise on the structural mechanics of the hip in different ethnic, gender and age groups using the Hip Structural Analysis program. I am also interested in improving care delivery to older adults with multiple chronic conditions. I currently work full time in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. I am the project director of the Guided Care study, a randomized controlled trial of a nurse-led model of primary care for older persons with complex health care needs.

First Year Students

Nancy Chiles Track: Epidemiology BS: Biology, UMBC Originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, Nancy received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. During her undergraduate career, she conducted research with multiple studies in the field of Gerontology. This experience encouraged Nancy to pursue a doctoral degree. Her research interests include diabetes as well as aging minority populations.

Katherine Humber Track: SCB BA: English and Psychobiology, Wellesley College Computer Studies, UMUC MA: Clinical/Community Psych, University of Maryland College Park Kathy’s MA focused on self-concept issues in minority populations. During the course of her studies, Kathy developed a dual interest in cross-cultural issues as well as neuropsychological assessment. In the workforce, these interests led to positions in clinical settings as a therapist and counselor for a wide variety of populations. She also served as the neuropsychological coordinator overseeing the administration of clinical protocols for schizophrenic patients. After working in mental health, Kathy took on an administrative role at UMUC as an assistant academic director in the Sciences. Currently, she serves as the academic director of Gerontology and Behavioral Sciences. In this capacity, Kathy has developed an interest in the characteristics of older adults as well as the services and policies which affect them. Kathy's research interests include exploring mental health and cognition in aging from a sociocultural perspective.

Iona Johnson Track: SCB BA: Psychology & Speech Pathology/Audiology, George Washington University MS: Speech Language Pathology, Loyola College in MD Iona is a speech language pathologist with over 20 years experience as a clinician in the medical setting. For the past 9 years, she has worked as a clinical assistant professor at Towson University, in the department of Audiology, Speech Language Pathology and Deaf studies. Iona established the Stroke Survivor Group @ TU, a community based group that provides education and support for stroke survivors and their caregivers. As a part-time student in the Gerontology doctoral program, she aspires to develop her skills as a researcher. Iona’s research interests include stroke rehabilitation, cognitive-communication disorders, and quality of life and social participation in elderly who have chronic co-morbidities.

Tara McMullen Track: Policy BA: Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno MPH: Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno Tara's interest in policy began as a graduate at the University of Nevada, Reno. While working with various statewide aging and policy endeavors, Tara earned her MPH degree from the University of Nevada, Reno's, School of Community Health Sciences. As a graduate student, Tara worked on many research projects, and served as a graduate assistant/Coordinator for the Gerontology Online Academic Program. Tara's research interests include geriatric workforce issues, hard-to-reach senior prison populations, and Medicare policy and evaluation. Tara's policy career aspirations include challenging current societal norms and perceptions of aging, as well as, developing and implementing programs designed to decrease geriatric workforce shortages.