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Eileen Crimmins, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Davis School of Gerontology, Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology and Sociology. Demography of older populations, health and mortality.
Eileen Crimmins is currently working on a number of projects. "The Role of Biological Factors in Determining Differences in Health by Education and Income Level" is being undertaken with Teresa Seeman of UCLA. This project examines how aging is linked to markers of biological functioning and how the pace of change in these markers is related to education and income. Factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, homocysteine, antioxidants, fibrinogen, and immune function indicators are among the factors being investigated. Crimmins also works on Healthy Life Expectancy in the Older Population defining healthy in a variety of ways. In addition she is working on male/female differences in health and mortality as well as differences by gender in life stresses and strains. Crimmins is the director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health (CBPH). Caleb Finch is co-director at USC. At UCLA the Center is directed by Teresa Seeman and co-directed by David Reuben. This Center is a unique collaboration between demographers and biologists at USC and epidemiologists and geriatricians at UCLA. The purpose of the Center is to integrate medical, biological, and epidemiological information to model and predict population health trends. The Center provides pilot project money for relevant research and supports a series of seminars and workshops on the two campuses.
Leslie Bernstein , PhD Dr. Leslie Bernstein, professor of preventive medicine, is the first holder of the AFLAC, Incorporated, Chair in Cancer Research at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and serves as the program leader for the Women’s Cancers Program at the Norris Cancer Center. Since 1988, Dr. Bernstein has been the Scientific Director of the Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance Program, a population-based cancer registry that is one of the NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registries. Although Dr Bernstein was trained as a biostatistician and still serves as a biostatistical consultant to her colleagues, she has developed a cancer epidemiology research program with a primary focus on breast cancer. Her major research interests have been on the impact of physical activity and obesity on breast cancer risk, how risk factors interact with breast cancer treatment to affect the subsequent risk of other chronic diseases (eg, risk of endometrial cancer, stroke and myocardial infarction), how diet, obesity and physical activity affect breast cancer prognosis and how they influence the breast cancer survivor’s quality of life. Dr. Bernstein is one of the initiators of the California Teachers Study (a cohort of 133,479 women formed in 1995 that was designed to address ongoing questions in cancer etiology with a major focus on lifestyle factors that are amenable to intervention). She currently serves as the Principal Investigator for this study, which is ongoing with funding from the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Bernstein is currently exploring the impact of physical activity, use of replacement hormones and obesity on the risk of several types of cancer in the cohort. One of her newly initiated research projects is a study of the impact of obesity and other factors (including genetic factors) on the risk of lymphedema in women treated for breast cancer. She is also working with colleagues to explore studies of multiple sclerosis and gynecologic conditions among women in this study. Dr. Bernstein has a grant funded to study the role of physical activity, obesity, hormonal exposures and the IL-6 gene in the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in women. She also continues to pursue findings related to the role of chemotherapy in increased risk of stroke risk following completion of cancer treatment. Dr. Bernstein serves as the co-director for the new Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) center that was recently awarded to USC, which focuses on the prevention of obesity and development of physically active lifestyle in children as a means for future cancer prevention. She also heads the mentoring and training core within this program. In the past, Dr. Bernstein served for 8 years as the senior associate dean for faculty affairs at the USC’s Keck School of Medicine and for 2 years as vice provost for medical affairs. She is a recipient of the Presidential Medallion, USC’s highest honor, the Elaine Stevely Hoffman Achievement Award for outstanding service to the School of Medicine, the outstanding alumnus award from USC’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and the American Society for Preventive Oncology’s Distinguished Achievement Award. She recently completed a five year term as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Counselors. She is a fellow in the American College of Epidemiology and the American Epidemiology Society. She has served as president for the Society for Epidemiologic Research and currently serves on their Executive Board. Currently Dr. Bernstein is an associate editor for the journal, Epidemiology. Dr. Bernstein chairs a number of national scientific advisory committees including the advisory committees for the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study I and Nurses’ Health Study II, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Sisters Study, and the M. D. Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Centers’ Mexican American Health Study. Dr. Bernstein has been selected to deliver the prestigious Cutter Lecture at Harvard this year (2005). Earlier this year she was selected as the first visiting scholar for the Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program of the National Cancer Institute and previously was selected to deliver the third annual Advances in Cancer Prevention Lecture at the National Institutes of Health.
Helena Chui, M.D. Chair, Division of Neurology, Raymond and Betty McCarron Chair in Neurology, and Professor of Neurology and Gerontology, Keck School of Medicine, USC Dr. Chui's research focuses on brain-behavior correlations in dementia. Her publications have examined clinical heterogeneity, natural history, clinical diagnosis, and clinical-pathologic correlations in Alzheimer Disease (AD) and ischemic vascular dementia. Over 1400 patients, evaluated at the Alzheimer Disease Diagnostic and Treatment Center since 1985, have been entered into a clinical database. In addition, quantitative neuropathologic assessments for over 200 cases of these cases who have come to autopsy have been entered into a pathological database. As an example of clinical-pathological correlation, agitation in AD was recently found to be correlated with relative preservation of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Dr. Chui was recently awarded a five-year grant by the NIA to study ischemic vascular dementia, the second most common cause of dementia. The overreaching goal of this multi-institutional program project relates to diagnosis and natural history of vascular dementia. The individual research project headed by Dr. Chui examines the pathophysiologic and functional significance of deep white matter changes and pathological correlates of ischemic lesions visualized by MRI.
Caleb Finch Ph.D. ARCO/ Keischnick Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences with adjunct appointments in the Department of Psychology, Department of Physiology and Department of Neurology. He is also one of USC’s 12 University Professors. Dr. Finch's major research interest is the study of genomic controls of mammalian development and aging. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale in 1961, where he majored in biophysics. He continued his work in cell biology and received his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University in 1969. Dr. Finch has received most of the major awards in biomedical gerontology, including the Robert W. Kleemeier Award of the Gerontological Society of America in 1985, the Sandoz Premier Prize by the International Geriatric Association in 1995, and the Irving Wright Award of AFAR and the Research Award of AGE in1999. He has directed the NIA-funded Alzheimer Disease Research Center since 1984 and now serves as Co-Director with Dr. Helena Chui. Dr. Finch became a University Professor in 1989, an honor held by only 12 other professors at USC who contribute to multiple fields. Dr. Finch supervises multiple predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows and two research faculty members. He is a member of ten editorial boards. He has written over 400 articles. In 1990 he published a major intellectual synthesis of aging: Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome. In 1995, Dr. Finch and Robert Ricklefs published Aging: A Natural History (Scientific American Library Series) for the general public. It has been translated into five different languages. His latest book, co-authored with Thomas Kirkwood was published by Oxford in 2000: Chance, Development, and Aging.
Margaret Gatz , Ph.D. Margaret Gatz is Professor of Psychology, Gerontology, and Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California; and Foreign Adjunct Professor in Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. At USC, she coordinates the graduate track in clinical-aging. She has served as Director of Clinical Training and as USC's Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA and Pac-10. Dr. Gatz's research interests encompass age-related change in depressive symptoms, risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease, and evaluation of the effects of interventions. She directs the Study of Dementia in Swedish Twins, a large longitudinal investigation of genetic and environmental factors in Alzheimer's disease. More information about the study can be found at http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/psychology/SCRAP Dr. Gatz has been recognized by the College's Raubenheimer Award, the Distinguished Research Achievement Award from Division 20 of the American Psychological Association, the Master Mentor Award of the Retirement Research Foundation and Division 20, the Distinguished Mentorship Award from the Gerontological Society Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, and by the Kunskapens äpple för betydelsefulla insatser för utveckling av forskning (Apple of Knowledge for Important Contributions to the Development of Research) through the University College of Health Sciences, Jönköping, Sweden. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Gerontological Society of America. She has served as chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of the Gerontological Society and as Associate Editor of Psychology and Aging (a journal of the American Psychological Association). She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Duke University, completed her clinical psychology internship at West Virginia University Medical Center, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University's Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.
Bob G. Knight, Ph.D. Merle Bensinger Professor of Gerontology and Psychology. Bob G. Knight, Ph.D. is the Merle H. Bensinger Professor of Gerontology and Professor of Psychology at the Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California. In addition to that position, he also serves as Director of the Tingstad Older Adult Counseling Center and faculty director of the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center. He is currently serving the Department of Psychology as Director of Clinical Training. Current research interests include "caregiving, emotion and aging, and mental health policy and aging." He has published extensively in mental health and aging, including Psychotherapy with older adults (Sage, 3rd ed. 2004, available in French, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese translations), Outreach with the elderly (NYU Press, 1989), Older adults in psychotherapy: Case histories (Sage, 1992). He is the senior editor, along with Linda Teri, Paul Wohlford, and John Santos, of Mental health services for older adults: Implications for training and practice (1995), and co-edited with Steven Zarit, A guide to psychotherapy and aging: Effective clinical interventions in a life-stage context (1996), both published by APA Books. Dr. Knight has been active in various professional organizations relating to psychology and aging. He served as the President of Section II, Division 12 (Clinical Geropsychology) of the American Psychological Association in 1997; President of APA Division of Adult Development and Aging, 2003-2004; chair of the APA Committee in Aging, 2001. Dr. Knight received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. His professional experience in working with older adults began while working at the Urban League of Madison County (IN) where he organized and served as first president of the Madison County Council on Aging in 1973.
Valter Longo, Ph.D. The Albert L. and Madelyne G. Hanson Family Trust Associate Professor in Gerontology Associate Professor in Biological Science. Cell Biology and genetics, regulation of aging and multiple stress resistance systems in yeast and mammals, Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Longo is the Albert L. and Madelyne G. Hanson Family Trust Associate Professor in Gerontology and an Associate Professor in Biological Science. He is interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of aging in yeast by using genetics and biochemistry techniques. He is also interested in identifying the molecular pathways conserved from simple organisms to humans that can be modulated to protect against multiple stresses and delay or prevent Alzheimer's Disease and other diseases of aging. The focus is on the signal transudation pathways that regulate resistance to oxidative damage in yeast and mammalian neurons. Wendy J. Mack, Ph.D. Dr. Mack's involvement in cardiovascular research has been focused primarily on the design and analysis of clinical trials utilizing angiographic and ultrasound graphic endpoints. This research has also involved the comparison of statistical methods to analyze such data, comparison of various treatment Selected Publications:
Mara Mather, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Gerontology and Psychology Mara Mather is an Associate Professor of Gerontology and Psychology at the University of Southern California. She is a cognitive psychologist whose research focuses on memory, emotion, decision making and aging. She received the Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging in 2005 and the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award from the Gerontological Society of America in 2007. Dr. Mather also received the American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award and the Margret M. Baltes Dissertation Award in the Psychology of Aging for her doctoral research at Princeton University. Dr. Mather is currently serving as associate editor of Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and is on the editorial boards of Emotion, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, Psychological Science, and Psychology and Aging.
John J. McArdle, Ph.D. John J. (Jack) McArdle, Ph.D., is currently Senior Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA USA. From 1984-2005 he was a faculty member at University of Virginia where he taught Quantitative Methods since 1984, and was director of the Jefferson Psychometric Laboratory. He teaches classes in topics in psychometrics, multivariate analysis, and structural equation modeling. McArdle is a visiting fellow at the Institute of Human Development at Univ. of California at Berkeley, an adjunct faculty member at the Department of Psychiatry at the Univ. of Hawaii, and he is lead data analyst for research studies on college student-athletes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2000, McArdle has also led the Advanced Training Institute on Longitudinal Modeling for the American Psychological Association. McArdle received his BA in Psychology and Mathematics at Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania (1969-1973), his MA and the Ph.D. in Psychology and Computer Sciences at Hofstra University in New York (1973-1977); and his Post-Doctoral training in Psychometrics and Multivariate Analysis at the University of Denver in Colorado (1977-1983). McArdle’s research has been focused on age-sensitive methods for psychological and educational measurement and longitudinal data analysis including published work has been in the area of factor analysis, growth curve analysis, and dynamic modeling of adult cognitive abilities. McArdle is the director of the ongoing National Growth and Change Study (NGCS), a longitudinal study of cognitive changes over age in the entire USA. McArdle has won the Cattell Award for Distinguished Multivariate Research (1987), was elected President of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (1993-94), was elected President of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences (1996-1999), and was elected as the Secretary of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP, 2000-2002). McArdle has served on advisory boards for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the ACTIVE Collaborative Trials, the National Archive for Computerized Databases in Aging (NACDA), the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences panel on Institutional Review Boards. In 2002-2003 he was named Lansdowne Professor of the University of Victoria, Jacob Cohen Lecturer of Columbia University, and Best Academic Researcher, NCAA. In 2004-2005 he was named a Co-PI of the HRS and was given a 10-year NIH-MERIT award from the National Institute on Aging.
Thomas McNeill, Ph.D., The overall goal of Dr. McNeill's research program is to define the cellular mechanisms that regulate the ability of the brain to repair itself in response to injury (i.e. neuroplasticity) and the effect of aging on these processes. In particular, we wish to further our understanding of the cellular events underlying the synergism between neural plasticity and treatment strategies that promote the recovery of function after brain damage. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that promote neuroplasticity after brain injury is critical for determining the limits of functional recovery that can be expected in brain injured patients, and the first step in developing novel treatment strategies to facilitate the recovery of function after brain injury. Likewise, the ability to manipulate neurotrophrin and neurotransmitters pathways that are activated in response to injury offers a unique opportunity for the development of novel therapies that target a specific cellular mechanisms by translating the fundemental principles of neuroplasticty into effective clinical interventions. The knowledge gained from our studies has relevance for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders commonly associated with brain injury as well as in the treatment of neurological deficits associated with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and stroke. Dr. McNeill is the principle investigator of the Interdisciplinary Center grant entitled " Interdisciplinary Studies of Neuroplasticity and Stroke Rehabilitation".
Jon Pynoos, Ph.D. UPS Foundation Professor of Gerontology, Policy, Planning and Development Dr. Pynoos holds a joint appointment as a Professor in the USC Davis School of Gerontology and the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development. He is also the Director of the Division of Policy and Services Research at the Andrus Center. His research interests include fall prevention among older persons, the development and analysis of policies and programs related to housing, long term care and community planning for older persons. Currently he is the director of the National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification and co-directs the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence. Dr. Pynoos has been named a member of the American Bar Association Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. He is a member of SCAN Health Plan Board of Governors, and has been appointed as a member of the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administration of the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs. He has authored numerous books and articles including, "Housing the Aging," with Victor Regnier, AIA for which he won the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Award. His many honors include being named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, a Fellow of the Fulbright Council for International Exchange of Scholars, and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Pynoos graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning. In 1987 he was awarded the UPS Foundation Professorship in Gerontology.
Merril Silverstein, Ph.D. Professor of Gerontology and Sociology. Family and intergenerational relations Dr. Silverstein, Professor of Gerontology and Sociology, received his B.A. from Queens College, and his M.S.W. in Social Work and Ph.D. in Sociology from Columbia University. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Silverstein was Assistant Research Professor of Population Studies at Brown University, and from 1989 to 1992, a postdoctoral trainee in aging research at the Andrus Gerontology Center. Dr. Silverstein's research is concerned with understanding how individuals age within the context of family life, including such issues as social support across generations, later life migration, life-course patterns of intergenerational solidarity, and public policy toward caregiving families. He is a recipient of a FIRST Award from the National Institute of Aging to study grandparenting over the life-course, and a grant from the NIH Fogarty International Center to initiate a longitudinal study aging families in rural China. He is also Principal Investigator of the Longitudinal Study of Generations and Mental Health. Dr. Silverstein is a Fellow of the Brookdale Foundation, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Fulbright International Senior Scholars Program for his research on informal and formal support systems for the aged in Sweden. Most recently he received funding from the National Science Foundation to study how children of divorce benefit from support by grandparents.
John Strauss , Ph.D. John Strauss is Professor of Economics and Director, Institute of Economic Policy Research Economist John Strauss is a recognized specialist in the fields of development economics, the economics of the household, the economics of human resource investments and labor market outcomes. "Indonesian Living Standards Before and After the Financial Crisis,” Strauss' most recent collaborative work, uses Indonesia Family Life Surveys (IFLS) to provide a true-to-life look at living conditions in Indonesia. Strauss is the current Principal Investigator of IFLS and is Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal, Economic Development and Cultural Change.
Kathleen H. Wilber, Ph.D. Mary Pickford Foundation Professor of Gerontology, Professor of Health Services Administration. Research focus: Health Services (Long-term care, managed care), elder abuse, conservatorship/ guardianship. Kathleen Wilber is the University of Southern California Mary Pickford Foundation Professor of Gerontology and holds a joint appointment in Health Services Administration in the School of Planning, Policy, and Development. Her research has focused on improving the quality of life of people with chronic physical and mental health conditions, by improving the formal health and long term care delivery system. Her work on collaborative relationships among providers has examined cost effectiveness and health outcomes of different service delivery structures. Her research interests include outcomes research for older adults in managed care, the development and evaluation of chronic care models that link acute and long-term care, and the translation of evidence-based long-term care interventions. In addition to health care, Dr. Wilber's research has focused on protective services including guardianship and conservatorship as well as financial management services for older persons. As a subset of this research her research and writing have explored the problem of elder abuse, specifically focusing on financial elder abuse. She has published over 60 articles, books, and book chapters including, A Secure Old Age: Approaches to Long-Term Care Financing with Edward L. Schneider and Donna Polisar published by Springer Publishing Company in 1997. Dr. Wilber regularly teaches courses in public policy, administration, systems management, managed care, and long-term care. As a trainer and consultant, she has worked with a number of organizations including, AARP; the Administration on Aging; the California Office of the Attorney General; California Department on Aging; Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Community and Senior Services; Los Angeles City Area Agency on Aging; Bet Tzedek Legal Services; City of Santa Monica Adult Services; and William M. Mercer, Inc. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the recipient of a faculty fellowship from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. She was awarded the Excellence in Teaching award from her department in 1992 and in 2000. She is on the editorial boards of Aging & Mental Health and Home Health Care Services Quarterly. In addition she serves on the California Olmstead Advisory Committee, the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of the Alzheimer’s Association, the USC Health Collaborative, the board of Directors of St. Barnabas Senior Services, and is the Chair of the Los Angeles County Long-Term Care Coordinating Council. From 2000 to 2004, she served as the Director of the Center for Long Term Care Integration funded by the California Department of Health Services. Dr. Wilber has a PhD in Public Administration, a Masters in Social Work and a certificate in gerontology from the University of Southern California and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She earned her BA degree in American Social History from Manhattanville College.
zelinski@usc.edu Rita and Edward Polusky Chair in Aging and Education; Elizabeth Zelinski, Ph.D., is Professor of Gerontology and Psychology. Dr. Zelinski has joint appointments in the psychology department, and the Neurosciences and the Study of Women and Men in Society (SWMS) Programs. She was the Dean of the Leonard Davis School and Executive Director of the Andrus Gerontology Center from 2004-2006, and the Associate Dean and Director of the Leonard Davis School from 1999-2004. Research Project: Long Beach Longitudinal Study Dr. Zelinski graduated summa cum laude from Pace University and received her graduate degrees in psychology, with a specialization in aging from the University of Southern California. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Zelinski is the principal investigator of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study. This study evaluates cognition, memory and language comprehension in older adults as well as the relationship between peoples' perceptions of their memory ability and their actual performance, and how these change as people grow old. A current focus of interest is in how improvements in memory and cognitive abilities in adults over the past few decades will affect the cognitive aging processes of the baby boomers and future generations. In related work, she evaluates the effect of cognitive training on memory and neuropsychologcal functions. This includes conducting a clinical trial of a computerized cognitive training program with Posit Science Corporation and consulting with Nintendo Corporation for their suite of cognitive games, including Brain Age. As the principal investigator of a grant from the USC Humanities and Social Sciences Initiative, she is collaborating with faculty in the USC Institute for Creative Technologies to develop virtual reality approaches to assessment and training of executive function in older adults who have experienced some declines. She has been on the editorial boards of major journals in aging, reviews articles regularly for journals in psychology, medicine, and aging, and is currently on the board of Psychology and Aging, the flagship journal in aging published by the American Psychological Association. Zelinski was the Program Chair for the Division of Adult Development and Aging for the 2005 meeting of the American Psychological Association and is the 2007-08 President-elect of that division. She will be the President and past-President, respectively in 2008-09 and 2009-10, respectively. She has served on two study sections of the National Institutes of Health, and is a member of the NIH Reviewer’s Reserve. Zelinski is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America. |
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© 2008 - Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center |
