Meet the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging Team

Linda Hollinger-Smith, RN, PhD, FAAN

Vice President

PhD in Gerontology

MS in Gerontological Nursing/Administration

BSN in Nursing

Perry Edelman, PhD

Director of Outcomes Research

PhD in Psychology

MA in Applied Social Psychology

BA in Psychology

Dr. Edelman is responsible for applied research related to whole-person wellness and dementia care in senior living and long-term care settings.  Programs and research includes:

• Develops, tests and disseminates the Senior Living Whole-Community Wellness Survey for developing a model to identify predictors of successful whole-person wellness communities and thus adapt wellness programs to improve resident outcomes.
• Develops, tests, and disseminates OQOLD (Observing Quality of Life in Dementia) in senior living and community settings (funding ended 2/08; final report due 6/08).
• Provides education and evaluate a person-centered care program for care providers of persons with dementia in long-term care settings (funded through 8/09).

Reed Engel, MA, FAWHP

Director of Wellness Strategies

Completing PhD in Health Promotion – Health Coaching (2009)

MA in Health Education & Exercise Science

MA in Economics

BA in Economics

Mr. Engel is responsible for the development of active adult wellness education and applied research initiatives in community, residential, and worksite settings.  Efforts include development, testing, and evaluation of several wellness initiatives including:

• A whole-person wellness and exercise collaboration program, designed to support a “culture of wellness” in MLW communities for residents, customers, and employees.  Specific programs include Strong Living, wellness presentations, and Exploring Green initiatives.
• MLW workforce wellness programs that include variety of communication, assessment, education, and behavior change support mechanisms for employees to attain optimal wellness.
• Health and Wellness Assessment (HAWA) model for older adults in MLW communities.  Develop final tool and resources into a product for other organizations to adopt.
• Wellness Coaching Program for older adults based on the six domains of wellness.  Anticipate high interest by other organizations to adopt this program as little attention has been paid to older adults in the relatively new area of wellness coaching.

Dawn Lehman, PhD

Director, Aging in the Workplace Program

PhD in Medical Anthropology

MA in Business Anthropology

BA in Communications

Dr. Lehman is responsible for conducting applied research that contributes to the broader field of older adult services. Her primary areas of focus include workforce, engagement, and cultural diversity research.  Programs and research efforts include:

• Develops, tests, and evaluates workforce trends and best practices associated with organizational adaptation to an aging workforce (Aging in the Workplace Study).  An assessment tool has been tested in MLW communities and will be replicated in CCRCs and other types of businesses to build databases with the goal of providing fee-for-service assessments and resources/tools benefiting organizations and aging workers.
• Develops grant proposals targeting workforce issues (e.g. cultural diversity training; aging workforce).
• Collaborates with CI on grant proposals targeting and evaluating community-based programs (e.g., Prime Time Sister Circle; Grandparents Raising Grandchildren).
• Provides education in the Count Me In program that seeks to create systemic change in the way community organizations value and engage older adults by creating leadership roles that use older volunteers' knowledge and skills (developed grant in collaboration with CI that is funded through 5/09).

Catherine O’Brien, MA, MPH

Director of Programs

MPH in Epidemiology

MA in Anthropology

BSEd in English

Ms. O’Brien is responsible for oversight of MLIA national programs and evaluation components including development of new wellness program opportunities funded through grants/fees.  Programs and research efforts include: 

• Directs the PREPARE Disaster/Emergency Preparedness Program for senior living and long-term care communities (funded through 8/09).
• Develops grant proposals to public/private funders targeting workforce issues (i.e., expansion of program/evaluation of Person-Centered Care for Retired Religious Communities).
• Conducts wellness opportunities review to gather market research information regarding competitors and to identify potential partners for existing and new wellness initiatives.

Paula J. Fenza, MA

Grants Manager

Post-Graduate Studies in Anthropology

MA in Anthropology

BSEd in History/

Anthropology

Ms. Fenza is responsible for MLIA grants management and administrative activities including:

• Coordinates submissions of MLIA grant applications and proposals.
• Manages grant activities in collaboration with directors including budget management, progress reports, and annual reports. 
• Assisting VP and directors in MLIA budget preparation and administration.
• Serving as Institutional Review Board (IRB) Co-Administrator, overseeing all MLW IRB activities and processes, and all internal and external research studies. 
• Serving as expert in cultural diversity, teaching courses in the Mather Web-Based Gerontological Education program and the PREPARE program.

Jayne Schaefer, BA

LEAP Project Manager

BA in Education

Completed master’s coursework in education

Ms. Schaefer is responsible for the day-to-day operations of LEAP work force training and retention initiative. Specifically, she:

• Coordinates all aspects of local, regional, and national LEAP train-the-trainer programs including oversight of LEAP evaluation components (fee-for-service funded; grant funded through 6/08). 
• Oversees the development of LEAP for Senior Living Program including participation in submission of grant for state funding efforts (submitted 4/08).

Jon Woodall, MEd

Project Manager, Online Programs

Completing PhD in Education – Instructional Design for Online Learning (2008)

MEd in Instructional Technology

BS in Management

Mr. Woodall is responsible for all MLW Online Programs related to course design, implementation, and evaluation.  He also seeks new grant funding support and manages current grants related to online courses.  Programs and research efforts include:

• Mather Web-Based Gerontological Education Web Courses (fee-for-service funded), a core curriculum to develop practitioners in aging studies through continuing education.
• Powerful Tools for Caregivers Online (fee-for-service funded and grant funded), a distance learning course targeting working caregivers.  New 2008 grants received from Exxon Mobil and Merck for their employees) to support a new student interface and program evaluation.
• Powerful Tools for Caregivers Global (grant funded by IBM), based on the success of PTC online, IBM is supporting translation of the course into Spanish and Portuguese for expansion to 6 Latin American countries and also to the United Kingdom.  Course evaluation is also a key component.
• Making Sense of Memory Loss (fee-for-service funded and grant funded), a distance learning course for working caregivers with family members/friends experiencing early stages of memory loss.  Course evaluation is also a key component.

Scott King, MA

Senior Research Associate

Completing PhD in Social Psychology (2009)

MA in Applied Social Psychology

BA in Psychology/German

Mr. King is responsible for several key projects including:

• Manages Quality of Life/Quality of Worklife annual surveys across Senior Living, Community Initiatives, and staff. 
• Coordinates internal and external survey research and project evaluation via the Survey Research Team.  Conducts data collection and entry, data management, statistical analyses, and assisting in manuscript preparation for various research projects across all areas of focus that target wellness, workforce, and dementia research endeavors. 
• Functions as Associate Managing Editor of the annual Seniors Housing & Care Journal.

Saher Selod, MA

Senior Research Associate, PREPARE

Completing PhD in Sociology (2009)

MA in Sociology

Ms. Selod has responsibilities related to the PREPARE program and for several research efforts: 

• Conducts data collection and entry, data management, and statistical analyses for PREPARE evaluation components.
• Assist in manuscript development and submissions for PREPARE in collaboration with project director. 
• As a member of the Survey Research Team, assists in internal and external survey research and project evaluation related to numerous projects as needed.

Richard Shank, MA

Senior Research Associate

Post-Graduate Studies in Medical Sociology and the Sociology of Science

MA in Sociology

BA in Psychology and Sociology

Mr. Shank works with the senior associate research team on several projects including:

• Assists in the coordination of Quality of Life/Quality of Worklife annual surveys across Senior Living, Community Initiatives, and staff. 
• Conducts data collection and entry, data management, statistical analyses, and assisting in manuscript preparation for various research projects across all areas of focus that target wellness, workforce, and dementia research endeavors.  Assists in the development of research design and survey instruments supporting ongoing and new research initiatives. 
• Authors the newsletter, Aging in Action, which tracks newly released aging related research.

Tessa Kieffer, MS

HAWA Project Coordinator

MS in Health Psychology

Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)

Ms. Kieffer is responsible for coordination, implementation, and evaluation of various MLW wellness projects including:

• Assists in the development, implementation, and evaluation of MLW workforce wellness initiatives.
• Coordinates the Health and Wellness Assessment (HAWA) project targeting older adults in MLW communities.

Theresa Sangram, BS

PREPARE Project Coordinator

Completing Master’s in Business Administration – Information Systems (2009)

BS in Business Information Systems

Ms. Sangram is responsible for coordinating all day-to-day activities related to the PREPARE project including: 

• Coordinates course site selection and registrations. 
• Manages PREPARE web page.
• Coordinates PREPARE webinars including development, implementation, and evaluation.
• Contributes to development of online PREPARE course.
• Assists in development of PREPARE powerpoint presentations.

Greg Walsh. BA

Program Strategist

BA in Merchandising

Mr. Walsh provides key assistance across a number of MLIA projects including:

• Contributes to marketing and recruitment efforts for various MLIA programs (PREPARE, LEAP, and SAFE-TI) in collaboration with marketing.  
• Contributes to marketing efforts for various MLIA products (Ways to Excel, OQOLD Toolkit, SELF Toolkit, online courses, and wellness surveys) in collaboration with marketing and project directors/managers.
• Coordinates planning and logistics for MLW participation in trade show exhibitions.

Kimberley Deng, BS

Administrative Assistant, MLIA

Completing MA in New Media Studies (2009)

BS in Communications – Advertising/Public Relations

Ms. Deng contributes to the day-to-day operations of MLIA in several areas including:

• Provides administrative support to MLIA leadership and staff.
• Maintains MLIA databases and filing systems current, including maintaining MLIA educational tracking systems, contacts, and mailing lists.
• Assists in coordination of various MLIA research initiatives (e.g., assists with subject enrollment, data collection, data entry, and development of presentations).

Cecilia Grefalda

Administrative Assistant, LEAP

Ms. Grefalda is responsible for the day-to-day operations related to the LEAP program including:

• Assists in coordination of LEAP workshops both locally and nationally locations. 
• Distributes LEAP marketing materials in collaboration with marketing. 
• Maintains LEAP database and filing systems including LEAP educational tracking.
• Processes LEAP payments and tracks revenues in collaboration with accounting.
• Distributes, collects, and enters data from LEAP Evaluation Surveys. 
• Assists in editing LEAP publications and development of LEAP powerpoint presentations.

Andrew Small

Administrative Assistant, PREPARE

Mr. Small is responsible for the day-to-day administrative support for the PREPARE program including:

• Provides administrative support for PREPARE project. 
• Assists in coordination of PREPARE registration and evaluation processes.