Harvard Catalyst Profiles

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Phd

06/1992

Clinical Psychology

I am the Associate Director for Education and Evaluation at New England GRECC. I am broadly interested in the older patient’s psychological reaction and adaption to medical illness, at the intersection of clinical implementation, biomedical ethics, and healthcare policy. My innovations are in two areas.

Clinical Innovation for Mental Health Treatment in Multi-Morbid Geriatric Patients. My recent work focuses on improving tools for assessing "what matters most" to older adults with multicomplexity and late life PTSD. .

Clinical Innovation in Capacity Assessment. My research has investigated processes for evaluating capacity as well as improving guardianship. I have translated these findings to a series of handbooks by the American Psychological Association (APA) and American Bar Association (ABA).

Teaching and Education. I am a clinical and research supervisor to VA trainees. My teaching and mentoring have been recognized by the APA Society for Clinical Geropsychology Distinguished Mentorship Award and HMS Stuart Hauser Award for Excellence in Mentorship, and by VA Boston Educator of the Year Award.

In addition to these activities, I am active in serving the VA, HMS, National geropsychology, and local Dorchester communities. My service to the Dorchester community was recognized by an HMS Dean’s Award for Community Service.

In summary, my clinical innovation work in geropsychology has integrated clinical research, clinical translation and implementation, and clinical training and scientific mentorship, with the ultimate goal of advancing psychological assessment and treatment of older adults -- with a focus on the patients' values and perspectives. Across these activities, my goals are to support patient centered care; improve patient-clinician communication; and enhance policies and processes of care within healthcare and health law.

• PTSD
• Trauma
• Capacity
• Competency
• Guardianship
• Psycho-oncology
• Medical Humanities