Students
Colleen Bennett
Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences
BA: Sociology and International Relations, State University of New York College at Geneseo
MS: Gerontology, Marywood University
Colleen’s interest in aging began at the SUNY College at Geneseo, where she worked with the IOM Political Rights and Enfranchisement System Strengthening Project researching political displacement and older voters’ issues. As a Graduate Assistant at Marywood University, she focused on recreational and alternative therapies and activity departments in long-term care settings; she also worked closely with Marywood’s Gerontology Advisory Board. Her research interests have since expanded to include family LGBT issues and needs, as well as sexuality and aging in assisted living and long-term care settings. Colleen previously worked as a Graduate Assistant with The Erickson School at UMBC with professors and students in the Management of Aging Services undergraduate program, and in the Center for Aging Studies at UMBC with her mentor Dr. Rubinstein.
Haesung Kim
Track: Epidemiology
BA; Occupational Therapy, Yonsei University
MA: Psychology, Yonsei University
Haesung studied Occupational Therapy as undergraduate and Psychology as Master's Degree at Yonsei University, South Korea. She researched cognitive control system at Cognition Lab with supervisor Dr. Min-Shik Kim. Her current research interest is how cognitive aging or impairments affect aging individuals and how to intervene their daily life. She hopes to contribute to improve the quality of life of aging adults.
Shalini Sahoo
Track: Policy
BS: Sociology,Texas Christian University
MA: Applied Sociology, UMBC
Brought up in New Delhi, India, Shalini first came to United States in 2009 to join Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX) on an athletic scholarship. In 2011 she joined the University of Maryland, Baltimore County for a master’s degree program in Applied Sociology with a focus in health and aging. Shalini was always interested in doing something to enhance the lives of older adults through sociological research or policy work. She then joined the M.A. program in Management of Aging Services from the Erickson School. She grew to understand and analyze the societal implications of an aging population for public policy, the economy, and major social institutions. Her ultimate career goal is to advocate for older adults by creating policies and programs to fit the diverse needs of this growing population. Working in the Affordable Housing industry for almost 2 years she has learned a lot about HUD-sponsored senior housing programs, Section 8 Housing and Low Income Housing. She hopes to expand my knowledge and apply herlearning to other important sectors in aging and policy, including health and long-term care, economic security, work, and retirement. One particular interest is exploring the intersection between Affordable Housing and integrated Healthcare and developing strategies that improve the health and well-being of elderly residents, while demonstrating cost savings to the healthcare system.
Kasey Knopp
Track: Policy
BA: History, College of Wooster
MA: Gerontology, Youngstown State University
Kasey has nearly a decade of experience working with the aging population within the private, non-profit, and government sectors. She received her MA in Gerontology from Youngstown State University in 2018. Through her work experience and her research, she developed an interest in addressing health disparities and an interest in comparative international healthcare policy.
Lori Anderson
Track: Epidemiology
BA: Business, College of Notre Dame, Maryland
MA: Applied Economics, Johns Hopkins University
MHS: Mental Health, JOhsn Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Lori's interest in Gerontology started when her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Lori saw how caregiving took a financial and emotional toll on the family and became interested in ways to alleviate those burdens. She has used her background in economics to study the role of economic hardship on risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Her current research will investigate mechanisms which delay onset and slow progression of Alzheimer's disease through lifestyle interventions such as sleep, diet, and exercise, while also exploring the economic benefits of such interventions.
Sarah Cassatt
Track: Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Sciences
BA: Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Pittsburgh
MA: Nutrition, Case Western University
Sarah is a Baltimore native and while pursuing her PhD will continue to work as a clinical dietitian at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Her background is in nutrition and exercise receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. It was, however, her graduate thesis work at Case Western Reserve University in malnutrition and falls in older adults that developed her passion for gerontology. Areas of research include enteral nutrition in older adults and nutritional management of diabetes in institutionalized older adults.
Donnette Narine
Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences
B.A.: Liberal Studies, St. George’s University
M.A.: Clinical-Community Psychology, St. George’s University
Donnette’s practicum experience for her master’s degree sparked an interest in the older adult population, specifically innovative ways for providing quality care in low-resource settings. She hopes to explore how creativity can be optimized for therapeutic benefits toward the biopsychosocial wellbeing of older adults.
Ranyah Almardawi
Track: Epidemiology
MPH: George Washington University
After completing her MPH, Ranyah was hired by the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at UMB as a clinical research specialist. During the last five years, she has had the opportunity to be involved with different projects that are related to the older population, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and musculoskeletal diseases. She works with Dr. Derik Davis on many projects that are related to the shoulder in the older adult population. Currently, they work on Shoulder Pain, Rotator Cuff Tear, Coordination, and Mobility in Aging. Her future research interests include testing the association between shoulder strength and mobility limitation in older adults.
Yoon Chung Kim
Track: Epidemiology
MHS: Johns Hopkins University
MS: Aging & Health, Georgetown University
Yoon's interest in the aging population led her to investigate the mental health of Korea's aging population at Seoul National University, South Korea. She continued to pursue her studies in the Aging & Health program at Georgetown University with a concentration in Healthcare Economics and Policy and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of Mental Health. Her current research interests include social isolation, social engagement, sleep, cognition, and mental health of older adults. She also has years of experience in international finance and counseling psychology.
Jaminette Nazario
Track: Policy
MPH: University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences
Jaminette’s interest in the older adult population began as a teenager when she saw that a large part of this population needed public transportation to get to their medical appointments or destinations. In her Master of Public Health in Gerontology practice, she had the opportunity to investigate the digital literacy and service providers in activity centers and multiple services in Puerto Rico where she was able to observe the existing needs of service providers and how it affects the service offered to older adults. Jaminette’s research interest is directed to older adults living in the community and who have limited resources to achieve a healthy and active old age. She has the expectation to implement strategies that eradicate or minimize the existing risks of a dependent old age.
Hema Ramamurthi
Track: Epidemiology
MS: Health Studies/Epidemiology, Texas Woman’s University
MBA: Johns Hopkins University
Hema’s interest in aging and aging-related research stems from her experience interacting with participants of several epidemiological and interventional studies spanning a wide range of topics from elder abuse, chronic disease management, and progression of infectious diseases such as HIV. Following her training as a physician in India, Hema came to the United States and has pursued a career in academic community-based research at the University of California, Los Angeles, Charles R. Drew University, and currently at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University. Hema is interested in the impact of digitization and aging. She seeks to understand and intervene using current and emerging digital technologies in addressing social isolation and loneliness among digital natives and adults who have adopted technology later in life.
Alfred Boakye
Track: Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Sciences
MA: Gerontology, Georgia State
Alfred Boakye just completed his master’s degree in Gerontology at Georgia State University. He has a master’s in human resource management from the University of Ghana. Alfred’s passion for the aging field translates into his key research interests: trauma & resilience, social support, organizational culture, caregiving, religious coping, and long-term care. Alfred has a growing thirst to improve the culture of long-term care institutions and to support direct care workers to be more efficient and effective. His current research focuses on trauma and resilience among direct care workers in Nursing Homes: Coping through COVID-19. With this, he hopes to contribute to research, policy and practice on long-term care. Alfred has started his PhD in Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore this Fall 2023. He is also a recipient of several awards including the Gerontology Institute scholarships and Travel awards (Georgia State University), SGS Student Travel award (2022 Annual Conference), the Virginia M. Smyth Graduate Student Scholarship (Georgia Gerontology Society), and the Black in Gerontology and Geriatrics (BIGG) Travel Award. He has two publications, one accepted manuscript, and several conference presentations to his credit. He hopes through his PhD in Gerontology to live his dream as a Professor and Consultant in the aging field.
Stephanie McCorvey
Track: Policy
MS: Physical Therapy, North Georgia Col & State Univ
Stephanie A. McCorvey, a rehabilitation practitioner, leader, and advocate, is passionate about serving adult and geriatric patients. Stephanie’s roots in the rural South, including her work as a physical therapist and clinic manager in the valley regions of Georgia and Alabama, have guided her research interests on resourcing preventive care - focusing on optimal function for aging populations. Stephanie’s experience assisting in the care of her “angels” (parents) enlightened her to the widespread challenges that all caregivers face daily, particularly caregivers with limited resources. As a result, Stephanie seeks to study methods of balancing support to caregivers with services provided for patients. As a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and Veteran, Stephanie’s key interests are broadening health care coverage to highlight individualized wellness plans, including prescriptive-based functional and nutritional assessments annually. Stephanie desires to help propel the focus on developing strong, seasoned citizens who thrive while they provide and demonstrate longevity in their respective professions within communities.
Aman Shrestha
Track: Epidemiology
MGS: Miami University, Ohio
Masters in Population Studies: Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Aman Shrestha is a trained gerontologist, demographer and applied statistician. He is competent in conducting quantitative data analysis using SAS, SPSS and R and has some qualitative research experience using Dedoose. He has a long experience working for nonprofits and clinical administration in Nepal, also has experience in graduating teaching and leading research projects both in Nepal and the United States. He is more inclined to research that promotes health and well-being of older adults; particularly, his research interests are aging biomarkers, older adults' mistreatment, demographics of aging and NCDs.
Rose (Rosie) Anderson
Track: Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Sciences
MA: Applied Sociology, UMBC
Rosie’s interest in aging began while completing her master’s in applied sociology at UMBC. Through her coursework and various projects, she developed an interest in the impact of social factors on health and well-being across the life course, particularly in later life. Her research interests include the influence of family and social ties on health and well-being of older adults, in the context of different communities in the U.S. and across different cultures and societies. Rosie hopes to explore how social determinants impact health outcomes in older adults, with a specific interest in bereavement and end-of-life experiences.
Claire McDonald
Track: Social, Cultural, Behavioral Sciences
MS: Psychology, The College of William & Mary
Claire’s interest in aging stemmed from her time working at an assisted living facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her bachelor’s thesis focused on the potential to use communication technologies to fulfill the psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competency. She most recently completed her master’s thesis on the mental health of caregivers of people living with dementia. She is passionate about the well-being of both people living with dementia and their caregivers. She is especially interested in the use of creative activities, like singing, to foster well-being in these populations.