Elena Portacolone, PhD, MBA, MPH

Title(s)Professor, Institute for Health & Aging
SchoolSchool of Nursing
Address490 Illinois Street, #122Q
San Francisco CA 94158
Phone510-830-9309
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0003-2311-3836 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    Universita’ degli Studi di TorinoLaurea1995Political Sciences
    University of California, BerkeleyMaster2004Business Administration (MBA)
    University of California, BerkeleyMaster2004Public Health (MPH)
    University of California, San FranciscoPh.D.2011Sociology
    Collapse Awards and Honors
    Alzheimer’s Association2022Dale Schenk Alzheimer’s Association Research Roundtable Grant Award
    National Institute on Aging2017Research Loan Repayment Program
    UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute2016KL2 First-year Scholar Program
    Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF2010Carroll Estes Fellowship
    Graduate Division, UCSF2010Graduate Dean’s Health Science Award
    Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF2010Anselm Strauss Fellowship
    American Association University Women2010Silver Jubilee Scholarship
    Sigma Xi 2009Sigma Xi Scholarship
    UC Humanities Research Institute2009White Fellowship
    Soroptimist Association of Northern California2009Soroptimist Fellowship
    Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF2009Virginia Olesen Fellowship
    Graduate Division, UCSF2008Graduate Dean’s Health Science Award
    School of Nursing, UCSF2007Andrew Scholarship Fund
    Graduate Division, UCSF2007Graduate Dean’s Health Science Award
    Sigma Xi2007Sigma Xi Scholarship
    Women Health Care Executives 2007Lynn Adamson Memorial Scholarship
    Graduate Division, UCSF2006Graduate Dean’s Health Science Award
    LifeLong Medical Care2005LifeLong Medical Care Scholarship
    Graduate Division, UCSF2005Graduate Dean’s Health Science Award
    Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley2003David Starkweather Fellowship in Health Services Management

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    Dr. Elena Portacolone is a Professor of Sociology in the Institute for Health & Aging and a Pepper Center Scholar at the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UCSF. She is also affiliated with the Philip Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, and the Global Health Sciences Institute, both at UCSF. Her research aims at developing equitable policies and programs for older adults living alone with cognitive impairment in the United States, and worldwide. Dr. Portacolone is also evaluating national interventions to increase the representation of communities of color in clinical trials on dementia.

    Dr. Portacolone completed her undergraduate degree in political sciences (international major) at the University of Turin, Italy. After working in the corporate sector in the United Kingdom, she completed an MPH degree at School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, an MBA degree at the Haas Business at UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Sociology in the Department of Social and Behavioral Science at UCSF. Dr. Portacolone is an alumna of the Butler-Williams program at the National Institute on Aging and of the Health Disparities Institute at the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities.

    Dr. Portacolone has led investigations that focus on the role of living alone as a social determinant of health, barriers and facilitators to services and supports for older adults living alone with dementia, increasing engagement of communities of color in dementia research, suicide, and social isolation. The majority of study participants in her studies belong to communities of color and often live alone. She has received extensive training in cognitive impairment, ethics, and advanced qualitative methods, and mixed methods. Dr. Portacolone founded the international network on living alone with cognitive impairment with the aim of promoting research on this topic.
    Collapse In The News
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    Collapse Research 
    Collapse Research Activities and Funding
    Leveraging the national infrastructure of trusted organizations to increase representation of Latinos in dementia research
    NIH R24AG071456Jun 1, 2021 - Mar 31, 2024
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Access and use of long-term services and supports for older adults living alone with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias from four racial/ethnic groups
    NIH/NIA R01 AG069147Sep 15, 2020 - May 31, 2025
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Strategies to Increase Recruitment of Latino Americans in Dementia Research
    California Department of Public Health ADRA 18-10612Jun 28, 2019 - Jun 30, 2020
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Scalable Strategies to Recruit African Americans into Dementia Research
    Alzheimer's Association 2018-AARG-589788Dec 1, 2018 - Dec 31, 2021
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Access and use of long-term services and supports for older adults living alone with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias from four racial/ethnic groups
    NIH R56AG062165Sep 30, 2018 - Aug 31, 2020
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Identifying Scalable and Culturally Relevant Strategies for Recruitment of African Americans with Cognitive Impairment into Dementia Research
    National Institute on Aging R03 AG060354Sep 1, 2018 - Apr 30, 2021
    Role: Principal Investigator
    Living Alone in Older Age with Cognitive Impairment
    NIH K01AG049102Aug 15, 2015 - Apr 30, 2020
    Role: Principal Investigator

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    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Specific cultural traits of the precarity of older Latinos living alone with cognitive impairment in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aging Ment Health. 2024 Sep 27; 1-10. Velez Ortiz D, Ransom N, Rivera E, Johnson JK, Keiser S, Tran T, Torres J, Portacolone E. PMID: 39330974.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    2. High-risk medication use among older adults with cognitive impairment living alone in the United States. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Jul 26. Growdon ME, Jing B, Yaffe K, Karliner LS, Possin KL, Portacolone E, Boscardin WJ, Harrison KL, Steinman MA. PMID: 39056523.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    3. Living Alone With Dementia: A Reality Check. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024 Nov; 32(11):1322-1324. Portacolone E, Cohen AB. PMID: 39181836.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    4. State home- and community-based services spending and unmet care needs by living arrangements and cognitive impairment status. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Jul 15. Yang Y, Lee AR, Portacolone E, Rapp T, Torres JM. PMID: 39007458.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    
    5. Clinical Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness of Collaborative Dementia Care: A Secondary Analysis of a Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jul 01; 7(7):e2419282. Michalowsky B, Blotenberg I, Platen M, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Portacolone E, Bohlken J, Rädke A, Buchholz M, Scharf A, Muehlichen F, Xie F, Thyrian JR, Hoffmann W. PMID: 38967926; PMCID: PMC11227088.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. A Prospective Multicenter Longitudinal Analysis of Suicidal Ideation among Long-COVID-19 Patients. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Jan 23; 12(3). Costanza A, Amerio A, Aguglia A, Magnani L, Alexander J, Maiorano A, Richard-Lepouriel H, Portacolone E, Berardelli I, Pompili M, Serafini G, Amore M, Nguyen KD. PMID: 38338174; PMCID: PMC10855095.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    7. Should artificial intelligence play a role in cultivating social connections among older adults?. AMA J Ethics. 2023; 11(25):818-824. Portacolone, E & Feddoes, DE.
    8. Should Artificial Intelligence Play a Role in Cultivating Social Connections Among Older Adults? AMA J Ethics. 2023 Nov 01; 25(11):E818-824. Portacolone E, Feddoes DE. PMID: 38085584.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Perceptions of the Role of Living Alone in Providing Services to Patients With Cognitive Impairment. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 08 01; 6(8):e2329913. Portacolone E, Nguyen TT, Bowers BJ, Johnson JK, Kotwal AA, Stone RI, Keiser S, Tran T, Rivera E, Martinez P, Yang Y, Torres JM, Covinsky KE. PMID: 37594759; PMCID: PMC10439475.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. A call to address structural barriers to Hispanic/Latino representation in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias: A micro-meso-macro perspective. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2023 Apr-Jun; 9(2):e12389. Aranda MP, Marquez DX, Gallagher-Thompson D, Pérez A, Rojas JC, Hill CV, Reyes Y, Dilworth-Anderson P, Portacolone E. PMID: 37287471; PMCID: PMC10242183.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 11  
    11. Understanding the concept of trust and other factors related to COVID-19 vaccine intentions among Black/African American older adults prior to vaccine development. SSM Qual Res Health. 2023 Jun; 3:100230. Harris OO, Perry TE, Johnson JK, Lichtenberg P, Washington T, Kitt B, Shaw M, Keiser S, Tran T, Vest L, Maloof M, Portacolone E. PMID: 36785539; PMCID: PMC9898052.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3  
    12. Factors related to COVID-19 vaccine intention in Latino communities. PLoS One. 2022; 17(11):e0272627. Perez A, Johnson JK, Marquez DX, Keiser S, Martinez P, Guerrero J, Tran T, Portacolone E. PMID: 36378633; PMCID: PMC9665385.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    13. Addressing Suicide Risk in Patients Living With Dementia During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Gerontologist. 2022 08 12; 62(7):956-963. Portacolone E, Byers AL, Halpern J, Barnes DE. PMID: 35365827; PMCID: PMC9372890.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    14. Putting participants and study partners FIRST when clinical trials end early. Alzheimers Dement. 2022 12; 18(12):2736-2746. Largent EA, Walter S, Childs N, Dacks PA, Dodge S, Florian H, Jackson J, Llibre Guerra JJ, Iturriaga E, Miller DS, Moreno M, Nosheny RL, Obisesan TO, Portacolone E, Siddiqi B, Silverberg N, Warren RC, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Edelmayer RM, Participant FIRST Work Group. PMID: 35917209; PMCID: PMC9926498.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    15. Increasing engagement of Hispanics/Latinos in clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2022; 8(1):e12331. Marquez DX, Perez A, Johnson JK, Jaldin M, Pinto J, Keiser S, Tran T, Martinez P, Guerrero J, Portacolone E. PMID: 35910673; PMCID: PMC9322823.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7  
    16. The Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment Project's Policy Advisory Group on Long-Term Services and Supports: Setting a Research Equity Agenda. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 05 16; 19(10). Portacolone E, Torres JM, Johnson JK, Benton D, Rapp T, Tran T, Martinez P, Graham C. PMID: 35627558; PMCID: PMC9141001.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    17. Difficulties with Activities of Daily Living and Receipt of Care Among Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: Differences Between Those Living Alone and Those Living with Others. J Alzheimers Dis. 2022; 89(1):31-37. Yang Y, Swinnerton K, Portacolone E, Allen IE, Torres JM, Duchowny K. PMID: 35871333; PMCID: PMC10117199.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lived Experience of Diverse Older Adults Living Alone With Cognitive Impairment. Gerontologist. 2021 02 23; 61(2):251-261. Portacolone E, Chodos A, Halpern J, Covinsky KE, Keiser S, Fung J, Rivera E, Tran T, Bykhovsky C, Johnson JK. PMID: 33404634; PMCID: PMC7901518.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 23     Fields:    Translation:HumansCellsPHPublic Health
    19. Use of Services by People Living Alone With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review. Innov Aging. 2021; 5(1):igab004. Rosenwohl-Mack A, Dubbin L, Chodos A, Dulaney S, Fang ML, Merrilees J, Portacolone E. PMID: 33796795; PMCID: PMC7990060.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6  
    20. Earning the Trust of African American Communities to Increase Representation in Dementia Research. Ethn Dis. 2020; 30(Suppl 2):719-734. Portacolone E, Palmer NR, Lichtenberg P, Waters CM, Hill CV, Keiser S, Vest L, Maloof M, Tran T, Martinez P, Guerrero J, Johnson JK. PMID: 33250619; PMCID: PMC7683027.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 19     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    21. Social Isolation, Social Integration and Intervention. Generations. 2020. Elena Portacolone. . View Publication.
    22. Multi-cultural perspectives on group singing among diverse older adults. Geriatr Nurs. 2020 Nov - Dec; 41(6):1006-1012. Allison TA, Nápoles AM, Johnson JK, Stewart AL, Rodriguez-Salazar M, Peringer J, Sherman S, Ortez-Alfaro J, Villero O, Portacolone E. PMID: 32778434; PMCID: PMC7738424.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Difficulty and help with activities of daily living among older adults living alone with cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Dement. 2020 08; 16(8):1125-1133. Edwards RD, Brenowitz WD, Portacolone E, Covinsky KE, Bindman A, Glymour MM, Torres JM. PMID: 32588985; PMCID: PMC7416441.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 21     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    24. Expectations and Concerns of Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment About Their Relationship With Medical Providers: A Call for Therapeutic Alliances. Qual Health Res. 2020 08; 30(10):1584-1595. Portacolone E, Covinsky KE, Johnson JK, Halpern J. PMID: 32564681; PMCID: PMC7398607.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Seeking a Sense of Belonging. Generations. 2020; 44(3):1-8. Portacolone E, Johnson JK, Halpern J, Kotwal A. PMID: 37583626; PMCID: PMC10426317.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    
    26. Ethical Issues Raised by the Introduction of Artificial Companions to Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Call for Interdisciplinary Collaborations. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020; 76(2):445-455. Portacolone E, Halpern J, Luxenberg J, Harrison KL, Covinsky KE. PMID: 32250295; PMCID: PMC7437496.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 10     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    27. Walking the Tightrope between Study Participant Autonomy and Researcher Integrity: The Case Study of a Research Participant with Alzheimer's Disease Pursuing Euthanasia in Switzerland. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2019 12; 14(5):483-486. Portacolone E, Covinsky KE, Johnson JK, Rubinstein RL, Halpern J. PMID: 31179811; PMCID: PMC6884661.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. The Precarity of Older Adults Living Alone With Cognitive Impairment. Gerontologist. 2019 03 14; 59(2):271-280. Portacolone E, Rubinstein RL, Covinsky KE, Halpern J, Johnson JK. PMID: 29373676; PMCID: PMC6417768.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 31     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    29. A framework to identify precarity in data collection and analysis: Toward a global precarity index. In A. M. Grenier, C. Philippson, & R. A. Settersten (Eds.), Precarity and Ageing: Understanding Changing Forms of Risk and Vulnerability in Later Life. London: Polity Press (In Press). 2018. Portacolone, E.
    30. "I Feel Trapped": The Tension Between Personal and Structural Factors of Social Isolation and the Desire for Social Integration Among Older Residents of a High-Crime Neighborhood. Gerontologist. 2018 Jan 18; 58(1):79-88. Portacolone E, Perissinotto C, Yeh JC, Greysen SR. PMID: 28329804; PMCID: PMC5881710.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 22     Fields:    Translation:HumansPHPublic Health
    31. The Effects and Meanings of Receiving a Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer's Disease When One Lives Alone. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018; 61(4):1517-1529. Portacolone E, Johnson JK, Covinsky KE, Halpern J, Rubinstein RL. PMID: 29376864; PMCID: PMC5862539.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 20     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    32. On Living Alone with Alzheimer's Disease. Care Wkly. 2018; 2018:1-4. Portacolone E. PMID: 30637409; PMCID: PMC6329451.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 8  
    33. Structural Factors of Elders' Isolation in a High-Crime Neighborhood: An In-Depth Perspective. Public Policy Aging Rep. 2018 Jan 13; 27(4):152-155. Portacolone E. PMID: 29576722; PMCID: PMC5863912.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1  
    34. Psychosocial Influences on Disaster Preparedness in San Francisco Recipients of Home Care. J Urban Health. 2017 Oct; 94(5):606-618. Gershon RR, Portacolone E, Nwankwo EM, Zhi Q, Qureshi KA, Raveis VH. PMID: 28028677; PMCID: PMC5610119.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    35. What is new with old? What old age teaches us about inequality and stratification. Sociol Compass. 2017 Mar; 11(3). Abramson CM, Portacolone E. PMID: 29861782; PMCID: PMC5983354.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5  
    36. A Tale of Two Cities: The Exploration of the Trieste Public Psychiatry Model in San Francisco. Cult Med Psychiatry. 2015 Dec; 39(4):680-97. Portacolone E, Segal SP, Mezzina R, Scheper-Hughes N, Okin RL. PMID: 25998781.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    37. "Move or Suffer": Is Age-Segregation the New Norm for Older Americans Living Alone? J Appl Gerontol. 2016 08; 35(8):836-56. Portacolone E, Halpern J. PMID: 25186312.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    38. Older Americans living alone: The influence of resources and intergenerational integration on inequality. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 2014; 44(3):280-305. Portacolone, E.
    39. Time to reinvent the science of dementia: the need for care and social integration. Aging Ment Health. 2014; 18(3):269-75. Portacolone E, Berridge C, K Johnson J, Schicktanz S. PMID: 24180580.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    40. The notion of precariousness among older adults living alone in the U.S. J Aging Stud. 2013 Apr; 27(2):166-74. Portacolone E. PMID: 23561282.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 18     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    41. Health And Development: The Role Of International Organizations In Population Aging. in Health and Development: The Role of International Organizations edited by A. Gatti and A.Boggio. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Reprinted in: Estes C, Chapman S, Dodd C, Hollister B, eds. Health Policy. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett;. 2012. Portacolone, E., Phillipson, Chris, Estes, Carroll. (2009).
    42. The myth of independence for older Americans living alone in the Bay Area of San Francisco: A critical reflection. Aging and Society. 2011; 31:803-828. Portacolone, E.
    43. "Maggie Kuhn: Social Theorist of Radical Gerontology.". International Journal of Sociology & Social Policy. 2009; 29(1&2):15-25. Portacolone, E., Estes, Carroll.
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