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T32 Training Program Trainees and Faculty

Leadership

Jennifer Wolff

Jennifer Wolff, PhD

Program Director

Cynthia Boyd, MD, MPH

Program Director

Nancy Schoenborn, MD

Associate Program Director

Katherine Ornstein

Associate Program Director

T32 Trainees

Pre- and post-doctoral trainees appointed to the T32 Training Program in Health Service and Outcomes Research for Aging Populations represent the next generation of scientists equipped to conduct person- and family-centered health services and outcomes research with a focus on older adults.

Post-doctoral Fellows

Mfon Umoh, MD, PhD

2023 - 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Dr. Umoh holds a bachelor's degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science and a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience from Emory University. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Internal Medicine Residency Program. She recently completed the Johns Hopkins University clinical fellowship in Geriatric Medicine. She is board certified in Internal Medicine. Her research aims to improve health outcomes for older adults with cognitive decline. She is interested in improving our understanding of the overlap between delirium and dementia in older adults and the social, demographic, and biological factors that influence this relationship. Additionally, she is interested in social connections in older adults and identification of risk and protective factors for social isolation in older adults to decrease this detrimental condition that has been closely linked to dementia. As a part of her T32 training, she plans to combine her prior clinical and research training to use patient biomarker data and survey data available from large national cohorts to better understand the effect of delirium on cognitive decline, and the influence of social and demographic factors on these trajectories. As a fellow she was awarded the John R. Burton Scholarship, an award designed to encourage interdisciplinary and interprofessional scholarly activities dedicated to improving the care of older adults.  She is an active member of the American Geriatric society and the American Delirium society.

Emerald Jenkins, PhD, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, MSN, RN

2023 - 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Emerald Jenkins, PhD, DNP, AGPCNP-BC, MSN, RN is a postdoctoral fellow appointed to the T32 training program in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON). Dr. Jenkins holds a bachelor's degree in biology with minors in sociology, genetics, health/medicine and human values from North Carolina State University, a master's degrees in medical science and nursing from Hampton University and JHUSON respectively, and dual doctoral degrees as a PhD and DNP-Advanced Practice from JHUSON. Jenkins’ varied roles in healthcare include candy striper, Certified Nursing Assistant, medical assistant, psychiatric nurse, a primary care nurse practitioner and caregiver for her grandmother with dementia. Jenkins’ short-term goals are to evaluate: (1) the process of pain evaluation in dyads (older adults and their care partners) and clinicians in different settings of care, (2) the relationships of outcomes impacting pain, and (3) the effects of congruence of pain evaluation amongst dyads and clinicians. She considers it her long-term career goals and professional motivation to: (1) improve physical and mental health outcomes related to cognitive impairment in persons with risk factors for dementia, and (2) develop community-engaged data-driven interventions impacting physical and mental health outcomes in older adults with pain and dementia.

Kacey Chae, MD

2023 - 2024
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Chae is a postdoctoral research fellow jointly in the Health Services and Outcomes Research in Aging Populations T32 program and the General Internal Medicine Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and subsequently pursued a Doctorate of Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She completed her Internal Medicine residency training at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and a clinical fellowship in Obesity Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician. Her research interest focuses on improving health outcomes in older adults with obesity and developing feasible, safe, and effective lifestyle interventions to increase quality of life and prevent frailty in older adults with obesity. As a part of her T32 training, she is pursuing a Masters in Health Science through the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation (GTPCI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Through her research, she hopes to fill the gaps in knowledge in the care of older adults with obesity and impact clinical practice habits.

Zhang Zhang, Ph.D., MSc

2024-2025
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Zhang Zhang, Ph.D., MSc, is a post-doctoral fellow appointed jointly in the Health Services and Outcomes Research in Aging Populations T32 program and the Hopkins Business of Health Initiative (HBHI). Her current research focuses on technology innovation (e.g. digital health and health information systems) and policies to improve health service delivery and outcome for complex health conditions. She is also interested in life-course aging, long-term care and integrated care for older adults. Her expertise concentrates on causal inference methods in quantitative modeling, and applied economics approaches for randomized (RCT) and non-randomized (quasi-experimental) designs in the evaluation of policy and clinical interventions. She received her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was predoctoral trainee at Carolina Population Center.  She earned her MSc in Health policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics (LSE) & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Her research and work experience includes designing interventions, policies, and strategies for long-term care systems and service delivery at the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization. 

A headshot of Sarah Jabour wearing a blazer with an open tooth smile

Sarah Jabour, MD

2024-2025
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Sarah Jabour, MD holds a B.A. in Public Health and International Studies with a minor in Social Policy from Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from the University of Michigan. She joined as a postdoctoral fellow on the Health Services and Outcomes Research in Aging Populations T32 Training Program after completing her second year of general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins. During her academic development time, she will pursue a PhD in Clinical Investigation through the Graduate Training Program in Clinical Investigation (GTPCI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is passionate about integrating frailty assessments and interventions into surgical care with a particular emphasis on quality of life outcomes and the role of the social determinants of health. She is also looking forward to learning about implementation science at the health systems level to address the surgical needs and peri-operative risks of aging and frail patients. 

Pre-doctoral Fellows

Alexa Bragg, MPH, MBA

2023 - 2024
PhD Candidate in Health Policy and Management
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Alexa Bragg is a doctoral student in Health Services Research and Policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Alexa’s research interests include the organizational behavior of nonprofit and for-profit long-term care institutions, as well as the evolving role of alternative care delivery models in home health. Alexa received her MPH and MBA from Boston University in 2023. Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Alexa served as an Associate Health Transformation Analyst for MITRE’s VA Enterprise & Healthcare Operations Transformation Department. In addition, Alexa supported ongoing socio-behavioral and health service research projects at Boston Medical Center for the Department of Family Medicine.

Natalie Davoodi, MPH

2023 - 2024
PhD Candidate in Health Policy and Management
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Davoodi is a second-year Health Services Research and Policy doctoral student in the Department of Health Policy and Management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Public Health from the Brown University School of Public Health. Prior to coming to Hopkins, she was a Senior Data Analyst at the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research within the Brown University School of Public Health leveraging claims data to assess policy questions specific to End-stage renal disease. She also worked as an Emergency Medical Technician throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Davoodi’s research interests include examining policies and programs pertaining to the health care older adults in the United States, specifically in the areas of financing, delivery, spending, organization, and health outcomes.

A headshot of Andrew Jopson wearing a button-down shirt

Andrew Jopson

2024-2025
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Jopson is a fifth-year Health Services Research and Policy doctoral student in the Department of Health Policy and Management. His research interests focus on understanding how Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports influence the care experiences of older adults with disabilities and their caregivers. He is also interested in policies and programs that support direct care workers caring for people with disabilities. Jopson received his bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley and his MPH at the University of Washington (UW) School of Public Health. Prior to coming to Hopkins, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Family Medicine at UW where he worked on HRSA-funded projects related to the health workforce including, rural primary care provider training and health care apprenticeships for allied health workers.

Former Trainees

  • Danielle Powell, AuD, PhD
    BSPH, 2021-2023
  • Jenni Reiff, MS, OTR/L
    BSPH, 2020-2023
  • Safiyyah Okoye, PhD
    SON, 2021-2022
  • Mani Berete Keita Fakeye, PhD
    BSPH, 2020-2021
  • Julia Burgdorf, PhD
    BSPH, 2020-2021
  • Lyndsay DeGroot, PhD
    SON, 2020-2021
  • Mary Louise Pomeroy, PhD, MPH
    SON, 2022-2024 
  • Jamie Smith, PhD, RN 
    SON, 2022-2024 
  • Tiffany Riser, MSN, MPH, ANP-C
    SON, 2021-2024 
  • Jeff Marr, BA
    BSPH, 2021-2024 
  • Aleks Wec, BA
    BSPH, 2021-2024 
  • April Ehrlich, MD
    SOM, 2022-2024 

T32 Training Faculty 

Faculty from within and outside the Center provide mentoring and expertise for T32 trainees. Program faculty represent wide-ranging expertise and experience in research and training related to health economics, disability, frailty, long term services and supports, shared decision making, health disparities in older adults, advance care planning, care management, use of health IT to support patients and caregivers, palliative care, vision and hearing impairment, cancer screening and care, mental health, cognition, and transitions of care. 

Core Faculty

  • Keri Althoff, PhD
    EPI, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Aging and HIV/AIDS, health disparities, epidemiology, causal inference
  • Gerard Anderson, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Financing of care for per Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing with chronic conditions, hospital, pharmaceutical, and healthcare provider expenditures.
  • Cynthia Boyd, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Older people, comorbidity, hospitalization, disability, functional recovery, chronic disease care, quality of life.
  • Deidra Crews, MD, ScM
    Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Chronic kidney disease, epidemiology, health services research, nephrology
  • Patricia Davidson, PhD RN
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Cardiovascular care, transitional care, palliative care, underserved populations, family caregiving
  • Sydney Dy, MD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Issues related to quality of care, palliative care, safety, decision-making, particularly in per Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing with cancer and serious illness
  • Joseph Gallo, MD
    Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Late-life depression; management of depression in primary care settings
  • Darrell Gaskin, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Safety net hospitals, "place"-based disparities.
  • Theodore (Jack) Iwashyna, MD, PhD
    Pulmonary & Critical Care, SOM 
    Context of critical illness, clinical epidemiology of long-term outcomes after severe sepsis, assessment of patient-reported outcomes
  • Bruce Leff, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Development, evaluation and dissemination of novel models of care for older adults, notably Hospital at Home and Guided Care
  • Jill Marsteller, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Estimating the influence of organizational variables and contextual measures on successful implementation, dissemination, sustainability
  • Esther Oh, MD, PhD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Cognitive Decline, Geriatric Medicine, Geriatric Psychiatry, Mood Disorders, Perioperative Care
  • Dan Polsky, PhD, MPP
    HPM Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Carey Business
    Health economics; health care workforce; access, cost, and quality of care
  • Lisa Reider, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Orthopaedic trauma, injury and fall surveillance, and clinical trials
  • Quincy Samus, PhD
    Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Quality of life and care for elderly individuals with dementia, memory disorders, and other functional disabilities.
  • Nancy Schoenborn, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Cancer screening in older adults that incorporates patient preferences and life expectancy
  • Jodi Segal, MD
    Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Frailty, evidence-based practice, pharmacoepidemiology, use of observational data to understand the use of new drugs
  • Sarah Szanton, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Environmental factors and stressors in health disparities in older adults, particularly those trying to stay out of nursing homes.
  • Janiece Taylor, PhD, RN
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Minority health; aging; women’s health; pain; disability
  • Roland Thorpe, PhD
    HBS, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Health Disparities, Race, SES, Poverty Status, Functional Decline, Functional Status, Lower Extremity Functioning, Hypertension, Mobility Limitation, Older Adults, Life Course, Men's Health Disparities Across the Life Course, Men's Health
  • Sevil Yasar, MD, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Dementia, pharmocepidemiology, cognitive decline, geriatric medicine
  • Jennifer Wolff, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Care and delivery of health services to older adults, family-centered care, disability, behavioral interventions

Affiliated Faculty

  • Martha Abshire, PhD, RN
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Palliative care, heart failure, caregiving, stress and coping
  • Halima Amjad, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Dementia; dementia care; health services research
  • Alicia Arbaje, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Transitional care to improve safety and outcomes for older adults
  • Michelle Bellantoni, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Geriatric care, acute, post-acute, nursing home care
  • Nicole Brandt, PharmD, MBA
    University of Maryland
    Pharmacist, prescribing and polypharmacy in older adults
  • Kimberly Carl, RN, BSN
    JH Home Care Group
    Medicare skilled home health care
  • Danelle Cayea, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Geriatric education, curriculum development
  • Jessica Colburn, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Primary care, geriatric education and workforce development
  • Lisa Cooper, MD
    Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Health equity, patient-physician communication, primary care
  • Valerie Cotter, DRNP
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Aging, dementia, palliative care, advance care planning
  • Thomas Cudjoe, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Geriatrics, health services research, social isolation, health equity
  • Emmanuel Drabo, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Economic evaluation, dementia diagnosis, prescription drugs
  • Rebecca Elon, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Geriatric care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation care
  • Allyson Evelyn-Gustave, OTR/L
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Occupational therapist; geriatrics; functional assessment
  •  Susan Gearhart, MD
    Associate Professor of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Surgical management of colorectal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and sporadic and hereditary colorectal cancer and pelvic organ dysfunction
  • Chanee Fabius, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Long-term services and supports, disparities, health services
  • Kali Thomas, PhD, MD
    Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
    Gerontology, dementia, transition of care, disaster preparation
  • Ariel Green, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Prescription medicine use; shared decision making; dementia
  • Hadi Kharazzi, MD, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Population health informatics, risk stratification, predictive modeling
  • Frank Lin, MD, PhD
    Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Hearing loss, aging, dementia and cognition, hearing health
  • Matthew McNabney, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Geriatric education, Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly
  • Stephanie Nothelle, MD
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Care coordination; primary care; health services research
  • Craig Pollack, MD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Cancer disparities; social determinants of health
  • Mariah Lyn Robertson, MD, MPH
    Geriatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
    Home-based medical care of the seriously ill, primary care, health equity, geriatric education
  • Laura Samuel, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Socio-economic disparities; neighborhoods and environment
  • Aditi Sen, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Health economics; physician payment; behavioral economics
  • Bonnie Swenor, PhD
    Ophthalmology Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Dual sensory impairment; dementia; low vision
  • Elizabeth Tanner, RN, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Health promotion, volunteerism, interprofessional education
  • Jennifer Wenzel, PhD, RN
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Health disparities, cancer care, palliative care
  • Jonathan Weiner, PhD
    HPM, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    Population health informatics; managed care
  • Rebecca Wright, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
    Palliative and end-of-life care, dementia, disparities