I have been conducting research on psycho-social factors in aging and chronic disease, including hip fracture recovery, cognitive functioning, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, delirium, psychological functioning (e.g., resilience, self-efficacy), depression, Parkinson's disease, physical functioning, and health-related outcomes, for over 25 years.

I have provided data management and statistical oversight to a number of large longitudinal studies, including the Baltimore Hip Studies, Maryland Long-Term Care Projects, Mobile Health in Diabetes projects, and the University of Maryland Movement Disorders PD and Movement Disorders Center Health Outcomes Measurement (HOME) Study.

My work on Parkinson’s disease has looked at the intersection of motor and cognitive symptoms on disability. I have been a long-term co-investigator on the Baltimore Hip Studies program (Jay Magaziner, PI) where I lead the psychosocial functioning and cognitive disorders (delirium and dementia) research. I served as a site PI on an NIA-funded RCT intervention of physical therapy interventions after hip fracture among those without cognitive impairment (Jay Magaziner, PI). I was the PI of an AHRQ task order on methods for studying dementia treatment and outcomes in observational databases and a NHLBI-funded R01 looking at delirium outcomes in a RCT of transfusion thresholds (FOCUS).

I am currently the PI of an NIA-funded R21 to examine a caregiver intervention among hip fracture patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. I am the PI for an active R01 looking at cognitive thresholds for patient-reported outcomes, which is recruiting patients with MCI and ADRD. I was also co-PI of STRONG, a study funded by Gilead Foundation to add geriatric assessment to an HIV center and a HIV supplement that will examine a behavioral activation intervention to address social isolation, loneliness, physical activity, and nutrtition among persons ages 50-plus living with HIV.

I lead the Epidemiology and Human Genetics doctoral program. I also am interim co-director of the UMB/UMBC Gerontology doctoral program. I teach courses in Psychology of Aging and Epidemiology of Aging. I am the MPI of a T32 training grant in epidemiology of aging.