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My program of research focuses on vulnerable populations at high risk for poor care transitions, particularly in the long term care setting. Using national CMS claims and resident assessment data, I recently completed a series of studies examining key factors associated with Emergency Department (ED) use by high risk nursing home residents, such as those with cognitive impairment, a history of falls and feeding tubes. While much of my work to date has involved large data set analyses, I am currently looking at innovative ways we can use emerging health technologies to promote greater interdisciplinary collaborative work processes across care settings and more actively engage nursing home residents, families, nursing home staff and EDs to reduce unnecessary acute care transfers and promote better care coordination.

Clinically, I am a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner and Geropsychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse, and I have cared for frail older adults across the care continuum, including the provision of geropsychiatric consultations in over 100 nursing homes in 3 states. I still maintain a geropsychiatric faculty practice in the nursing home setting.

From a teaching perspective, I am passionate about, and locally and nationally involved in, figuring out innovative ways to infuse more gerontological and geropsychiatric content into the generalist APN curriculum and across disciplines.