Rik Crutzen is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, specializing in health promotion and digital interventions. His research focuses on leveraging technology to improve health behaviors across diverse populations, including adolescents, older adults, and immigrant communities. He leads projects in the CAPHRI research group for Promoting Health & Personalised Care. Research trends include: Digital health innovations (e.g., helplines, apps, algorithms) Chronic disease management (post-COVID-19, dementia risk) Health equity in immigrant populations (cervical cancer, maternal care) Behavioral interventions (physical activity, sleep, STI prevention) Systematic reviews and mixed-methods studies He has supervised 22 academic works and contributed to datasets on activity patterns and sleep-activity correlations. His work spans public health policy, health education, and technology integration.
Ashli Owen-Smith is a behavioral scientist affiliated with the School of Public Health at Georgia State University , where her research focuses on mental health disparities, suicide prevention, and integrative/complementary approaches for complex mental-physical health conditions. She works with underserved populations including refugees/immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and LGBTQ+ communities through community-based participatory research and mixed-methods frameworks. Her current projects are funded by CDC , DBHDD , and DPH . Education: Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences (Emory, 2009), S.M. in Public Health (Harvard, 2005), B.A. in Psychology (Smith College, 2001) Her research spans mental health , trauma , suicide prevention , and mindfulness-based interventions . Recent work examines telehealth adaptations for chronic pain and mental health, vaccine hesitancy in refugee communities, and social determinants of suicide . She leads studies on gender-affirming care and health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations. Key article trends include epidemiological analysis of suicide risk factors, COVID-19 impacts on mental health, ICD-10 coding for autism, and complementary medicine in trauma recovery. Subfields span telehealth , health equity , mental-physical comorbidity , and community engagement . Students she has mentored include C.A. Scarlett , T. Griner , and M.M. Sesay . Her work integrates public health policy , clinical research , and health systems analysis .
Dr. Frank Rudzicz is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University. His research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and healthcare, with a focus on developing machine learning systems that improve clinical decision-making, patient outcomes, and accessibility in medicine. He holds a BSc from Concordia University (2004), an MEng from McGill University (2006), and a PhD from the University of Toronto (2011). His research interests include Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Healthcare, Speech Technologies, Explainable AI, and Fairness in ML. Dr. Rudzicz's recent publications span a wide range of topics, including Alzheimer's detection through speech analysis, surgical outcome prediction, mental health monitoring, privacy in AI, and the application of large language models in clinical settings. His work consistently emphasizes ethical AI, patient privacy, and real-world clinical integration. He has received several awards, including a Best Paper award at EMNLP 2020, a Best Student Paper award at ICASSP 2021, and the ISCA Best Student Paper award in 2013. His research has been published in top-tier journals such as Nature Scientific Reports , JAMA Network Open , IEEE Access , and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , as well as leading conferences including NeurIPS, ACL, ICML, and Interspeech. Dr. Rudzicz supervises a dynamic research group working on AI for health, with active projects in voice-based diagnostics, ambient clinical documentation, explainable AI for surgery, and wearable-based monitoring for chronic diseases. He collaborates widely across disciplines, including with clinicians, neuroscientists, ethicists, and public health experts. He is also involved in major initiatives such as the Genetics Navigator study and Bridge2AI-Voice, aiming to build ethically sourced, diverse biomedical datasets. His lab actively explores the societal implications of AI in healthcare, including fairness, trust, and resistance to malicious fine-tuning.
Janani Thillainadesan is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at the Sydney Medical School/Concord Clinical School and the Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney. She is also a member of the Charles Perkins Centre. Her research focuses on optimizing healthcare delivery for older adults, particularly in geriatric surgery, perioperative care, and dementia interventions. Key research areas include frailty assessment, deprescribing strategies, collaborative care models, and leveraging technology (e.g., mobile health) in geriatric medicine. She has contributed to multidisciplinary studies involving clinical datasets, quality indicators, and mixed-methods analyses of patient experiences and care expectations. Awards: 2023 RACP Vincent Fairfax Research Fellowship 2021 ANZSGM Career Investigator Prize 2021 UK Age Anaesthesia Association Best Oral Presentation Prize 2019 Evidence Based Perioperative Medicine Asia Congress Runner Up Prize Her work bridges clinical practice, education, and policy through grants like the 2024 electronic frailty index project. Media engagement includes a 2019 Studio 10 segment highlighting her contributions to aging-related healthcare innovations.
Karen Bandeen-Roche is a Professor and the Hurley-Dorrier Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with joint affiliations in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. She is a leading expert in biostatistical methodology, particularly in latent variable models, longitudinal analysis, and multivariate survival methods applied to aging and gerontology. Her research focuses on developing statistical models for unobservable processes such as frailty, resilience, and functional status in older adults. She has made significant contributions to the measurement of aging-related constructs and has extensive collaborative work in ophthalmology and neurology. Her methodological work includes mixture models, measurement error correction, and latent class modeling. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in gerontological biostatistics, with a focus on frailty, dementia risk, resilience, and multisystem physiological responses in aging. Her work integrates complex data from observational cohorts and clinical studies, often employing innovative latent variable frameworks to address measurement challenges in health outcomes. Scientific Awards and Honors: Marvin Zelen Leadership Award in Statistical Science (2016) Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2001) Brookdale National Fellow (1997) Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010) Garland Clay Award (1999) Chair, NIH BMRD Study Section (2006–2008) President, Eastern North American Region, International Biometric Society (2011–2013) Executive Board, International Biometric Society (2015–2022) Board of Directors, National Institute of Statistical Sciences (2020–2023) Karen Bandeen-Roche has been deeply involved in advising and training the next generation of researchers. She co-directs a training program in Biostatistics and Epidemiology of Aging and has received multiple teaching and mentoring awards. She has served on numerous academic committees, including appointments and promotions, faculty senate, and ethics committees at Johns Hopkins. Her grants and collaborative research span aging, dementia, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular health, often supported by NIH and other federal agencies. She leads the Center on Aging and Health and is actively involved in interdisciplinary research initiatives that bridge biostatistics, medicine, and public health. Her lab and research team focus on developing and applying advanced statistical methods to understand the biological and social determinants of healthy aging.
Associate Professor Jenni Ilomaki holds a position at Monash University's Centre for Medicine Use and Safety. With expertise in clinical pharmacy, epidemiology, and public health, she leads a research group analyzing administrative claims data. Her work spans collaborations with governmental and non-governmental organizations globally, yielding over 150 peer-reviewed publications and $4 million in grants. She previously served as Chair of ASCEPT's Pharmacoepidemiology Special Interest Group and currently serves as Science Lead for the Monash Addiction Research Centre and Executive Editor of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Education includes a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) from the University of Kuopio (1999) and Master of Science (Pharmacy) from the University of Kuopio (2004). She completed a PhD in alcohol epidemiology at the University of Eastern Finland (2011) and a postdoc at the University of South Australia (2011-2014). Notable recognitions include Young Epidemiologist of the Year (2011) and the Ronald D. Mann Best Paper Award (2021). Key research focuses on quality use of medicines, medicine safety, large population studies, and innovative epidemiological methods. Major projects include developing clinical decision support tools for cardiovascular prevention, analyzing preventable hospitalizations in aged care, and investigating psychotropic medication trends in youth. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health equity and non-communicable disease reduction. Recent publications emphasize drug repurposing (e.g., SGLT2 inhibitors), opioid prescribing patterns, hip fracture outcomes, and dementia detection algorithms. She chairs multinational studies on stroke and myocardial infarction cost burdens, demonstrating interdisciplinary impact across pharmacology, epidemiology, and health economics.
Lili Liu is the Dean of the Faculty of Health and a Professor at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on leveraging technologies to support older adults and family caregivers, particularly those living with dementia. She leads projects funded by Age-Well NCE, including apps for dementia risk management, usability scales for locating missing persons, and national data strategies. Collaborating with Ryerson University, she develops drone algorithms for locating cognitively impaired individuals. Education: PhD, MSc, and BSc in Rehabilitation Science and Occupational Therapy from McGill University. Research interests emphasize assistive technologies, caregiver support, smart home systems, and mixed-methods approaches. She explores ethical challenges in tech adoption, such as privacy concerns in alert systems and guardianship implications. Recent work includes digital storytelling interventions and frameworks for autonomy and independence in aging populations. Publications span dementia-related wandering, technology acceptance, and fall detection, with a focus on translational research. She advocates for policy changes through initiatives like Alberta’s Bill 210 (Silver Alert system). Current lab activities include the Aging and Innovation Research Program (AIRP), focusing on tech solutions for aging challenges.
Bei Wu is Dean’s Professor in Global Health and Vice Dean for Research at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, where she also serves as Co-Director of the NYU Aging Incubator. She holds an additional appointment as Affiliated Professor in the Ashman Department of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry at NYU, reflecting her interdisciplinary expertise. She previously held the Pauline Gratz Professorship at Duke University School of Nursing, underscoring her national prominence in gerontology and nursing science. Her educational background includes a PhD and MS from the Gerontology Center at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a BS from Shanghai University. These foundational qualifications have supported her extensive research career focused on aging, global health, and oral-systemic health linkages. Dr. Wu’s research is centered on gerontology and global health, with a strong emphasis on oral health, dementia, cognitive decline, caregiving, and health disparities among minority populations, particularly older Asian Americans. She is a pioneer in studying the connections between oral health and cognitive outcomes in older adults. Her work integrates interdisciplinary approaches across nursing, dentistry, public health, and social sciences, often with a focus on vulnerable and underserved communities. Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the biological and social determinants of cognitive aging, oral frailty, caregiving burden, and mental health in older populations. Themes include the role of toothbrushing in preventing dementia, the impact of social capital on mental health, and the development of culturally tailored interventions for dementia caregivers. Her work often employs mixed methods, including systematic reviews, cohort studies, and qualitative inquiry. Distinguished Scientist Award for Geriatric Oral Research, IADR (2017) Pauline Gratz Professorship, Duke University (2014) J. Morita Junior Investigator Award (2007) Fellow, Gerontological Society of America Fellow, New York Academy of Medicine 2022 Wei Hu Inspiration Award Honorary Member, Sigma Theta Tau International Dr. Wu has successfully mentored hundreds of early-career scientists and has secured substantial funding from the NIH, CDC, and private foundations. She currently leads multiple NIH-funded projects, including a clinical trial on oral health in dementia and a large data analysis on diabetes and cognitive decline. She co-leads the Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity and directs the Research and Education Core for the NIA-funded Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR), which focuses on building research capacity and addressing health inequities. Her work is conducted through key labs and initiatives including the NYU Aging Incubator, the Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity, and the Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR). These centers support interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation in aging research, and the development of culturally appropriate health interventions.
Professor Maria Eriksdotter is a leading academic in geriatrics and dementia research at the Karolinska Institutet , holding the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society . She also serves as a Senior Consultant in Themes Inflammation and Ageing at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge and previously as Dean of KI South (2019–2023). Her work spans translational research, clinical trials, and national registry development, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease, cholinergic therapies, and aging. Her research group pioneered NGF cell therapy for Alzheimer's patients, demonstrating safety and cognitive stabilization in clinical trials. She chairs the SveDem registry , tracking over 100,000 dementia patients to refine diagnostics and care. Studies from SveDem revealed mortality reduction with cholinesterase inhibitors and highlighted pandemic-era diagnostic delays. Recent publications analyze dementia subtypes , comorbidities , and precision medicine in neurodegeneration. Her work intersects neuroimaging , epidemiology , and public health policy , addressing ageism and improving geriatric care systems. Collaborations span Karolinska University Hospital , NSGene Inc , and international institutions.
Dr. Gary Mitchell is a Reader (Education) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's University Belfast, with a focus on aging populations, dementia care, and healthcare education. He leads postgraduate education initiatives and co-develops digital educational tools to enhance nursing practice and public health awareness. Director of Postgraduate Taught Education at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Academic Lead for the Future Ready Evidence-Based Practice Champion Programme Former Chair of the Royal College of Nursing's Older People's Forum Editorial Board Member of BMC Geriatrics and Nursing Reports His research interests span qualitative methodologies, care home nursing, and the integration of digital education. Key projects include co-designing interventions to improve dementia care, pain management, and diabetes education in long-term care settings. Dr. Mitchell has authored over 260 publications, focusing on topics like restrictive practices in care homes, the psychosocial impact of chronic illnesses, and educational games for public health awareness. Awards: MBE (2023), Queen's University Teaching Awards (2024, 2023, 2021, 2020) He supervises PhD students in aging care and collaborates internationally on projects funded by agencies like the Burdett Trust for Nursing and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Donald H. Taylor is a Professor at Duke University with dual appointments in the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. He serves as the Director of the Social Science Research Institute and is an Executive Core Faculty Member at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy. Additionally, he holds affiliations as an Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society and an Affiliate of the Duke Global Health Institute. Dr. Taylor's educational background includes: Ph.D. in Public Health, Health Policy and Management from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1995) M.P.P. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1992) B.S. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1990) As a leading health policy scholar, Dr. Taylor's research has evolved through several key phases. Initially focusing on rural health and identification of underserved areas, his work expanded to examine the economics of smoking and cessation. For the past two decades, his primary focus has been on elderly care systems and their impacts on individuals, families, public programs, and inter-generational wealth. More recently, he has delved into archival research methods to illuminate the role of race in American history, and is exploring how visual art and fiction might effectively challenge cultural acceptance of various forms of inequality. His extensive publication record shows consistent focus on Medicare, Medicaid, palliative care, and end-of-life care. A significant portion of his recent work examines racial disparities in healthcare, the economics of nursing and palliative care, and the impact of policy changes on vulnerable populations including the elderly and homeless. His research often employs sophisticated economic analyses to evaluate healthcare interventions and policy changes, with particular attention to how policies affect different demographic groups. Dr. Taylor has held significant leadership roles including serving as Chair of the Academic Council (2017-2019) and Director of the Social Science Research Institute since 2019. His grant portfolio demonstrates sustained funding for projects examining palliative care, Medicare/Medicaid policy, and health disparities, with current projects spanning from 2018 to 2025. His ongoing research initiatives focus on community-based palliative care models, racial inequality in healthcare, and innovative approaches to making health policy more effective and equitable. Through his work with the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, he continues to influence health policy at both state and national levels, particularly regarding Medicare reform, Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, and addressing systemic racial disparities in healthcare delivery.
Sara Dubowsky Adar is a Professor of Epidemiology and Global Public Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research integrates epidemiology, environmental health, exposure science, and biostatistics to investigate environmental hazards' impacts on human health, with primary focus on air pollution and noise effects on healthy aging. Her educational background includes: ScD in Environmental Epidemiology from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2005) MHS in Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (1998) BS in Environmental Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1996) Dr. Adar's research centers on environmental risk factors for aging, particularly examining how living environments influence healthy aging trajectories through cross-disciplinary collaborations with environmental epidemiologists, climatologists, exposure scientists, economists, and demographers. Her work spans air pollution, noise exposure, cardiovascular disease, and intervention strategies to improve health outcomes. Her extensive publication record reveals strong thematic patterns across environmental exposures and neurological/cognitive outcomes, with increasing focus on source-specific particulate matter, dementia pathways, and intervention effectiveness in recent years. The research demonstrates methodological sophistication through large cohort studies, randomized trials, and harmonized international assessments. Professional recognition includes: Sandra A. Daugherty Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Epidemiology (American Heart Association) Excellence in Teaching Award (University of Michigan School of Public Health) Dr. Adar serves as Associate Editor at Environmental Health Perspectives and previously held leadership roles including Secretary/Treasurer of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. Her research group actively develops evidence-based interventions to reduce environmental health hazards while maintaining strong educational commitments to trainees. The Adar Research Group operates within the Department of Epidemiology at Michigan Public Health, focusing on interdisciplinary environmental health research with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations including children, older adults, and communities in low-resource settings globally.
Dr. Terrah Foster Akard is a Professor of Nursing and Medicine at Vanderbilt University, where she holds appointments in the School of Nursing and serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Graduate School. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from Jacksonville State University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD in Nursing Science from Vanderbilt University. Her research program focuses on developing innovative psychosocial interventions for pediatric palliative care populations, with emphasis on: Legacy-making activities to improve quality of life Grief processing and continuing bonds in bereaved families Web-based recruitment and intervention delivery methods Novel approaches like animal-assisted interactions and digital storytelling She leads significant federally-funded projects including: NIH/NINR R01 on legacy interventions in pediatric palliative care (2014-2019) Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation grant for nurse-led storytelling interventions (2021) American Cancer Society funding for web-based pediatric oncology research Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on improving psychosocial outcomes through: Qualitative and mixed-methods exploration of family experiences with serious illness; Development and validation of digital health interventions; Investigation of pandemic impacts on vulnerable pediatric populations; Innovative methodologies for palliative care research involving children. Honors include: Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar Award Professional service includes leadership roles in: Palliative Care Research Cooperative Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Scientific Committee American Cancer Society Peer Review Committees
Professor Ian Scott is a Professorial Research Fellow in the Centre for Health Services Research at The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, and Director of Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology at Princess Alexandra Hospital. He is a consultant general physician with expertise in health services evaluation, clinical guidelines, evidence-based medicine, and AI-driven clinical decision-making. His research focuses on low-value care reduction, deprescribing protocols, diagnostic safety, and AI implementation in healthcare. Education: Masters (Health Administration, UNSW); Masters (Education, UQ); Royal Australasian College of Physicians qualifications. Leadership Roles: Inaugural Chair of the Australian Deprescribing Network, Queensland Clinical Networks Executive, and founding member of ANZA-SIDM. Grants: NHMRC Partnership Projects, MRFF grants, and others totaling over 300+ publications. Research Highlights: Pioneered the CEASE deprescribing protocol, led sepsis AI working groups, and improved hospital emergency department efficiency through quality reforms. His work on machine learning for drug dosing and diagnostic error mitigation has global impact. Grants and Funding: Current grants include RELEASE+ (antidepressant deprescribing) and REMAIN HOME 2.0 (medication handover optimization).
Dr. Nai-Ching Chi is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing. She is a nurse scientist and informaticist conducting pioneering research at the intersection of data science, technology, and health, focusing on dementia care, multimorbidity management, pain management, family caregiving, and healthy aging. PhD in Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics (University of Washington) MS in Clinical Informatics and Patient-Centered Technologies (University of Washington) MSN (University of California, San Francisco) BSN (Tzu Chi University, Taiwan) Dr. Chi's research integrates advanced data science and AI to develop digital interventions for vulnerable populations. Notable projects include the PACE-app for dementia caregiver pain management, AI-powered nursing communication tools, and NIH-funded studies on multimorbidity patterns in Alzheimer's patients. Her work informs clinical guidelines and leverages predictive modeling for early risk detection. Recent publications focus on AI-driven pain assessment, machine learning in multimorbidity analysis, usability of caregiving apps, and rural age-friendly ecosystems. Her work spans comorbidity indices, geriatric pain, and health informatics innovations. National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leader Forum nomination NIA Butler-Williams Scholar NIA Aging Initiative MCCs Scholar Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Emerging Leader Award Dr. Chi mentors students in aging research and technology-driven healthcare. She serves on editorial boards, grant review panels, and university committees, while volunteering in nursing homes and international medical missions.
