Jefferson College of Health Professions - Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health

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Core Staff

Director, Laura N. Gitlin, Ph.D: Dr. Gitlin is a research sociologist and professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy. Her funded research includes testing behavioral and home-based interventions to improve function and well-being in older adults and family caregivers, adaptation to functional disability and psychosocial outcomes. She has published extensively in gerontology and occupational therapy and co-authored numerous books. One book, Introduction to Research: Understanding and Applying Multiple Strategies, in its third edition and published by Elsener Books, is an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. It has been adopted by universities nationally and internationally. The other book Successful Grant Writing: Strategies for Health and Human Service Professionals published by Springer Publishing and in it's second edition, is a guide to grant writing for health professionals and has been widely adopted by many health professional schools. Dr. Gitlin has close to 100 scientific publications and has written about and conducted workshops on developing collaborative research teams and working with consumer and community groups throughout the United States and Canada.
Assistant Director, Laraine Winter, Ph.D: Dr. Winter is a social psychologist who conducts behavioral research in gerontology and women's health. She recently served as project director at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, with Dr. M. Powell Lawton, on a study of affect in normal aging. Formerly, she was research coordinator, Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, where she conducted studies of behavioral prevention of HIV, early detection of breast cancer, and service delivery improvement.
Statistician, Walter W. Hauck, Ph.D: Dr. Hauck has 30 years of collaborative research experience covering the full range of study designs from randomized trials to observational studies. Current research interests include methods for demonstrating equivalence, and statistical methods for clinical pharmacology and quality control of pharmaceuticals.
Project Manager, Nancy L. Chernett, M.A., M.P.H: Ms. Chernett has over 25 years of experience in health care as a clinician, program developer, and project coordinator. During the past 15 years she has worked exclusively with programs serving older elders and family caregivers. She coordinates subject recruitment for CARAH research studies, as well as serving as project manager for several studies including “Chronic Disease Self-management for African American Urban Elders” and the “Tailored Activity Program”.
Research Program Analyst, Marie Dennis, Ph.D: As a graduate of Temple University, Dr. Dennis holds a Ph.D. degree in Educational Psychology and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She has served as Research/Program Analyst for the Center since July 2000. As a Research/Program Analyst, Dr. Dennis is responsible for the development and management of CARAH's research databases, in addition to conducting statistical analyses for the Center's research projects and contributing to the development of research manuscripts. Her interests include dementia caregiving, functional competence and successful aging, and spirituality in aging and health. Dr. Dennis has co-authored a number of professional journal articles and presentations.
Clinical Coordinator, Tracey Vause Earland, MS, OTR/L: Ms. Vause Earland is an occupational therapist with over 23 years of experience in acute-care, adult/geriatric rehabilitation, and homecare service. Over the last 10 years, she has participated in a number of the Center's funded research studies as an OT Interventionist. She currently serves as Clinical Coordinator for the Feasibility Phase of the Farber Clinical Family Services.
Research Associate, Helen Black, Ph.D.: Dr. Black is a gerontologist and religionist whose qualitative research looks to elders and those who care for them to define and interpret the meaning of particular ‘lived experiences'. Her funded research includes an exploration of forgiveness as a concept and tool at the end of life, the meaning of suffering for elders, and the cultural construction of dying and death. Her current research expands on a phenomenological examination of suffering in old age. She is the co-author of: Old Souls: Aged women, poverty, and the experience of God, published by Aldine deGruyter. Her second book, forthcoming from Baywood, is titled: Soul pain: The meaning of suffering in later life . Her work has appeared as chapters in edited volumes, and as articles in aging, narrative, and religious studies journals. A recent article in the Journal of Gerontology explored Themes of Suffering in Later Life; another recent article in Omega examined the “moral imagination” of long-term care workers.
Data Entry Specialist, Mary Barnett: Ms. Barnett has over 20 years' experience in data entry systems. Formerly from the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, she has extensive expertise in entering and managing large databases using a range of data entry programs.
Executive Associate/Office Manager, Helen R. Jones: Ms. Jones is Executive Associate to the Director. She has extensive experience in office management and administrative duties.
Medical Advisors:
Barry W. Rovner, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, and Director of Clinical Alzheimer's Disease Research at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Rovner graduated Jefferson Medical College in 1980 and completed his residency in Psychiatry and fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1985. His clinical research concerns neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and vision disorders such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration. The focus in both disorders is to test novel interventions to improve cognition, prevent depression and enhance quality of life.
Christine A. Arenson, M.D. is assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical College. Research and scholarly interests include developing enhanced educational opportunties for medical students to learn geriatrics. Dr. Arenson is involved in community-based partnerships to provide comprehensive services to low-income seniors, and developing outcomes tools to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. Areas of clinical expertise include family medicine and geriatrics. Educational administrative experience includes coordinating geriatrics curricula for family medicine residents and serving as assistant director for fellowships in the Deparment of Family Medicine.
Research Interviewers: From left to right: Laura Holbert, MSW; Alison Cohn, BA; Jennifer Rhoades, MSW; Christa Caruso, BA. Not pictured: Barbara Parker, Abby Schwartz, Susan Hannum
Research Interventionists: From left to right: (standing) Mary Ferraro, PhD, OTR/L; Catherine Piersol, MS, OTR/L; Kathy Czekanski, MSN, RN; Jennifer Rhoades, MSW; (sitting) Lois Rosage, MS, OTR/L; Gina Collier, MS, OTR/L; Tracey Vause Earland, MS, OTR/L. Not pictured: Karie Angstadt, OTR/L; Lauren Young Lapin, OTR/L; Michelle Rifkin, MS, OTR/L; Geri Shaw, OTR/L; Nancy Prickett, MA, MPT

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