Name
Full Name
Antonia Bennett, PhD
Credentials
PhD
Role
Executive Committee, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Primary title
Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management
Primary Institution
University of North Carolina
Complete Titles
Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina
Director, Patient-Reported Outcomes Core, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Bio
Antonia Bennett, PhD, is a patient-reported outcomes methodologist and health services researcher. Her research investigates valid and reliable approaches for assessing patient-reported outcomes in longitudinal studies, in particular symptoms, physical function and quality of life. Currently, her research is focused on the use of patient reported outcome measures in patient populations where dementia may be present. The objective is to determine at what level of cognitive impairment can patients no longer provide valid and reliable responses. Dr. Bennett is director of the Measurement core of the NINR-supported Palliative Care Research Cooperative. She also investigates the potential value of activity trackers and other wearable device data in clinical trials and clinical care. Dr. Bennett is faculty director of the UNC Patient-Reported Outcomes Core (PRO Core), which provides consultation and software for administering PRO studies.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN
Credentials
PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN
Role
Executive Committee, PCRO Core
Pilot Grant Awardee, Cycle 2A
Primary title
Assistant Professor
Primary Institution
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Complete Titles
Assistant Professor, Organizational Systems and Adult Health,
University of Maryland School of Nursing
Bio
Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, a health scientist at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, and a nurse practitioner at Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care. Dr. Carpenter is an expert in geriatric palliative care, specializing in post-acute and long-term care settings. Her research interests focus on the implementation and evaluation of non-pharmacologic palliative care interventions to improve quality of life, reduce symptom burden, and enhance decision making for people with serious illness. She has extensive experience collaborating with interdisciplinary health professionals to implement evidence-based practices and complex interventions to support high-quality palliative care. Her position as an educator, researcher, and leader supports national efforts to enhance serious illness care for older adults.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Laura Hanson, MD, MPH
Credentials
MD, MPH
Role
Core Leader, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Member, Steering Committee
Primary title
Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Director, UNC Palliative Care Program
Primary Institution
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Complete Titles
Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Director, UNC Palliative Care Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Bio
Laura C. Hanson, MD, MPH, is a tenured professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill and director of the UNC Palliative Care Program. As a board-certified physician in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine, she provides care for frail and medically complex older patients, and adults of all ages with serious and potentially life-limiting illness. Dr. Hanson leads a research program to measure and improve quality of palliative care for people living with late-stage AD/ADRD, nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations. She leads the Measurement Core for the NINR-funded Palliative Care Research Cooperative group, and has developed quality measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum and applied nationwide in hospice care. Her recent research focuses on AD/ADRD clinical trials to improve shared decision-making and palliative care outcomes.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD
Credentials
PharmD, PhD
Role
Executive Committee, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Primary title
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Primary Institution
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Complete Titles
Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Center for Aging and Health
Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy
Bio
Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine and the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, Eshelman School of Pharmacy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a geriatric health services researcher and pharmacist with expertise in pharmacoepidemiology. Dr. Niznik’s program of research is focused on evaluating quality of prescribing and deprescribing in older nursing home residents with dementia. In 2018, he was awarded the American Geriatrics Society’s Scientist-in-Training Award for his early career contributions to aging research. He has been recognized as a prominent contributor to the field of deprescribing research, having authored more than 10 peer-reviewed publications on the topic and being appointed to the US Deprescribing Research Network’s Junior Investigator Program. Dr. Niznik’s work has been supported by several awards funded through the National Institutes on Aging and the Donaghue Medical Research Foundation. Most recently, he was awarded a career development award by the NIA to continue his work evaluating perceptions and outcomes of deprescribing chronic medications in older nursing home residents with dementia.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH
Credentials
MD, MSPH
Role
Executive Committee, Patient/Cargiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Member, Steering Committee
Primary title
Professor of Medicine
Primary Institution
Massachusetts General Hospital Mongan Institute
Complete Titles
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
Kenneth L. Minaker Endowed Chair in Geriatrics, Director of Research, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, MGH
Bio
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH, is the Kenneth L. Minaker Chair in Geriatrics and director of research in the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, as well as director of the Mongan Institute Center for Aging and Serious Illness at MGH. She is a board-certified geriatrician and palliative care physician with research focused on optimal clinical care for those with advanced illness, including advanced dementia. Dr. Ritchie co-leads the NIH-funded Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trials Training Program and co-directs the National Home-based Primary Care Learning Network.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Debra Saliba, MD, MPH
Credentials
MD, MPH
Role
Executive Committee, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Primary title
Anna and Harry Borun Endowed Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology
Primary Institution
UCLA and VA
Complete Titles
Anna and Harry Borun Endowed Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology at UCLA
Director, UCLA/JH Borun Center for Gerontological Research
Associate Director for Education, VA Los Angeles HSR&D Center of Innovation
Physician Scientist, VA Los Angeles GRECC
Senior Natural Scientist, RAND Corporation
Bio
Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF, holds the UCLA Anna & Harry Borun Endowed Chair in Geriatrics, is a physician scientist at VA GRECC and HSR&D Center of Innovation, and RAND senior natural scientist. Her research aims to improve quality of care for older adults and adults with long-term care needs. One central approach has been directly including older adults in assessments of their health and needs. She developed the VES-13, a function-based survey that identifies at-risk older adults, that has gained widespread acceptance as both a predictor and outcome measure. As PI for the CMS MDS 3.0 Revision project and VA Validation project, she led a national consortium in mixed-methods research to identify and test revised items, including many that relied on residents’ self-report. This research showed significant gains in reliability, validity, staff satisfaction and assessment efficiency. This work is being adapted into other post-acute settings. She serves on the NASEM Committee on Nursing Quality, CMS’s 5-star Technical Expert Panel and National Quality Forum’s committees on Patient Experience and Function and Post-acute /Long-term care. She is past president of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and serves as deputy editor for the Journal of AGS.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Kathryn Wessell, MPH
Credentials
MPH
Role
Core Navigator
Project Manager/Director
Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Primary title
Research Associate
Primary Institution
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Complete Titles
Research Associate, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project Manager
Bio
Kathryn Wessell, MPH, is an experienced research specialist with over 15 years of experience and will be serving as the core navigator for the Patient and Caregiver Reported Outcomes (PCRO) Core. Ms. Wessell has worked on numerous research studies focused on improving the quality of care for people living with advanced illness, including Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). She has been a research associate with the Palliative Care Research Collaborative (PCRC) Measurement Core since its inception in 2013. In collaboration with Drs. Laura Hanson and Antonia Bennett, Ms. Wessell contributed to the development of the PCRC Measurement Tool Library of high-quality instruments relevant to palliative care research.
Core/Team Associations
Full Name
Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD
Credentials
PhD
Role
Executive Committee, Patient/Caregiver Relevant Outcomes (PCRO) Core
Primary title
University Distinguished Professor and Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
Primary Institution
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Complete Titles
University Distinguished Professor and Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Executive Director, CEAL@UNC
Bio
Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, is a University Distinguished Professor of Social Work and Public Health and for more than 25 years has been co-director of the Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC); she also is the executive director of the national Center for Excellence (CEAL@UNC). She is internationally recognized as a leader in research related to care for people living with dementia, having published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and numerous books. She is emeritus editor-in-chief and currently senior associate editor of JAMDA - the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. In 1996, Zimmerman founded the Collaborative Studies of Long-Term Care, the largest ongoing research consortium of almost 1,500 nursing homes and assisted living settings that have participated in more than 70 projects with continuous funding from the NIH, AHRQ, and foundations. Dr. Zimmerman works closely with long-term care providers and provider organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Association (which resulted in the development of their 2018 Dementia Care Practice Recommendations).
Core/Team Associations