Natalie Ernecoff, PhD, MPH, is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating systems-level palliative care, hospice, and home care interventions. Her work includes healthcare system informatics, electronic health record (EHR)-based interventions, systematic identification of serious illness populations, and collaborative models of palliative care delivery. She is experienced in qualitative and mixed methods research, implementation science, population health management, program evaluation, and clinical research. Dr. Ernecoff leads work exploring measures of goal-concordant care based upon both coded and free text data in nursing home EHRs.

Barbara Freiwald, BS, is a human research specialist in the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research within the Brown University School of Public Health. She supports investigators throughout the life of their study as it relates to human subjects research and central IRB requirements. Barbara received her bachelor’s degree at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Prior to her role on the IMPACT Collaboratory, Barbara’s professional experience and interests included IRB, quality assurance and CMS DUA administration. Mrs. Freiwald started working at Brown University in 2019 and on the IMPACT Collaboratory in 2022.

Joseph Gaugler, PhD, is the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care & Aging in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He is the director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation in the School of Public Health, the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving, the EMBRACE AD/ADRD Roybal Center (with Dr. Gilmore-Bykvoskyi), and the State Alzheimer's Research Support Center (with Drs. Shih and Samus). Dr. Gaugler’s research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions. An applied gerontologist, Dr. Gaugler’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for people living with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older people living with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, Dr. Gaugler also has interests in mixed methods and implementation science.

Crystal Glover, PhD, is an applied social psychologist, mixed methodologist, and associate professor with tenure in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine. She has designed and built a program of research focused on addressing challenges related to brain health and facilitating optimal outcomes in aging. Her research program consists of two interconnected components that examine: 1) decision making associated with complex, nuanced, and sensitive topics in older age; and 2) protective and risk factors of brain health. Her research has led to the design, development, and implementation of engagement approaches, educational materials, and intervention strategies. Dr. Glover has widely published her peer-reviewed work in several high-impact scientific journals, including Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, CHEST, and Human Genetics. She continues to present her research at international and national scientific meetings and belongs to several intercontinental and domestic professional committees and groups. Overall, Dr. Glover dedicates her work to service and strategies for optimal aging for all - globally, nationally, and locally.

Ariel Green, MD, PhD, MPH is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on improving communication between older adults, care partners and health care professionals about unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions, including medication use. As a member of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Clinical Practice Committee, Dr. Green co-wrote the Society’s recommendations for Choosing Wisely, a national initiative that promotes patient-physician conversations about unnecessary medical tests and procedures. Dr. Green received the AGS Choosing Wisely Champion Award for leading efforts to reduce overuse in medicine. Her research, supported by the NIA, is evaluating the impact on patient and care partner outcomes of pragmatic interventions to optimize prescribing for older adults with dementia in primary care. A former award-winning health journalist, Dr. Green has published personal essays and op-eds in Annals of Internal Medicine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, among other publications.