Poster Perfect

USC Davis School Ph.D. student Jeff Laguna wins a national contest sponsored by The Gerontological Society of America

By Jonathan Riggs

Jeff Laguna

USC Davis School Ph.D. student Jeff Laguna was one of five winners of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Emerging Scholars and Professionals Organization (ESPO) Poster Award for his work, entitled “Patient Pain following Inpatient Palliative Care Consults: Pre- and Post-Discharge Outcomes." Per the terms of the award, Laguna will receive his honor as well as present at the 63rd GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, Nov. 19-23.

“I am honored to have received recognition for my work,” Laguna says. “The poster highlights findings from a recent research project that I have been working on with my advisor, Kaiser Permanente physicians and staff, and my peers in the USC gerontology Ph.D. program.”

“Jeff’s poster provides new information about a critical period of care for older adults at end-of-life as they transition between care settings,” says his advisor Susan Enguidanos, MPH, Ph.D., Hanson Family Assistant Professor of Gerontology at the USC Davis School. “His evidence provides a foundation to further investigate and improve care transitions between the hospital and other care settings for seriously ill patients as well as a launching point for his promising research career.”

A third-year Ph.D. student at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, Laguna’s research interests include studying all aspects of end-of-life and palliative care, especially end-of-life care transitions, continuity of care, healthcare disparities, bereavement, and religion and spirituality at end-of-life.

Death and dying issues have always fascinated Laguna. He earned his bachelor’s of science degree in family studies and human development from the University of Arizona, but it was an internship at Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging that helped tip him professionally towards gerontology.

“During my service at this agency, I became actively aware of many of the issues that confront our aging community. Although I had studied aging in the classroom, it was not until I experienced many of the issues with my clients that I began to fully grasp the reality,” he says. “Also, during my undergraduate work, I volunteered at an agency who served individuals with terminal illnesses. These opportunities were awakening experiences.”

He credits the support of Dr. Enguidanos and the USC Davis School faculty for helping position him and his peers to make their mark in the field and a difference in the world.

“More than anything, I would like my research to foster the development of interventions that address current gaps in our healthcare system,” he says. “Through studies such as the one reported in this poster, I ultimately hope to further develop our understanding of what works and what doesn’t.”

Photo by Anna Nguyen