Ross Andel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies

Ph.D., (Gerontology), 2003, University of Southern California, Leonard
Davis School of Gerontology , Los Angeles , CA . Assistant Professor.
Interests: Dr. Andel conducts research on risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. He is particularly interested in the role of mental, physical, and social activity, stress and personality, and diet. Dr. Andel has also published on the effects of exercise on functional fitness in old age, risk factors for nursing home placement and other topics related to health and aging.
Email: randel@cas.usf.edu

Tamara Baker, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies

PhD (Biobehavioral Health), 2001, The Pennsylvania State University
Interests: Dr. Baker conducts research on the behavioral and psychosocial predictors and outcomes of chronic disease and pain in older adults from diverse racial and ethnic populations. Dr. Baker has a particular interest in examining disparities in chronic pain management among older community-dwelling adults in general and older Black adults in particular.
E-mail: tbaker@cas.usf.edu

Debra Dobbs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies

Ph. D. Sociology 2002, University of Kansas
Interests: Dr. Dobbs has research interests in long term care related to a variety of issues including end-of-life and hospice use; mental health and dementia care; family and staff care provision; and stigma in long term care settings as a person declines functionally and cognitively. She has a particular interest in studying factors that influence aging in place in assisted living such as affordable AL options, mental health problems and cognitive decline, and the use of hospice at the end of life so a person may remain in an AL setting and avoid nursing home placement.
E-mail: ddobbs@cas.usf.edu

Jerri Edwards, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies

PhD 2000, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Developmental Psychology
Interests: Dr. Edwards’ research is aimed toward discovering how cognitive abilities can be maintained and even enhanced with advancing age. Ultimately, the goals of Dr. Edwards’ research are to extend the mobility and independence of older adults thereby improving their quality of life. She is particularly interested in how cognitive interventions may help older adults to avoid or at least delay functional difficulties and thereby maintain independence. Much of her work has focused upon the functional ability of driving including assessing driving fitness among older adults and remediation of cognitive decline that results in driving difficulties.
E-mail: jedwards1@cas.usf.edu

William E. Haley, Ph.D., Professor

Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology), 1982, University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Interests: Dr. Haley conducts research on stress and coping among older adults and their family members.  He has a special interest in the stress experienced by family caregivers for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and terminal illness.  He is increasingly involved in research on psychological aspects of end-of-life care. His research includes attention to racial/ethnic variation in the caregiving experience, and the evaluation of interventions to help caregivers adapt successfully to the long-term strain of caring for relatives with serious illness.
E-mail:whaley@cas.usf.edu

Kathryn Hyer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Aging Studies and Director, Training Academy on Aging, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging

(Dr. PA., Arizona State University, 1992) Education, Training, and Health Policy Issues
Interests: Dr. Hyer’s research is on the organization, staffing, training, policies, and financing of long-term care in varied settings along the continuum of long term care. She is interested in the impact of State and federal regulations on assisted living and nursing home residents’ quality of care and quality of life, especially at the end of life. Her research includes program evaluation with a special emphasis on evaluation of geriatric educational interventions for health professionals and students.
Email: khyer@cas.usf.edu

Mary Kaplan, M.S.W, LCSW., Instructor and Director of Internship Program, School of Aging Studies

Interests: Geriatric Case Management, Dementia Care; Caregiver Issues
Ms. Kaplan’s research includes, public guardianship in Florida and to develop training programs in geriatric case management, dementia care, and intergenerational service learning. She is a faculty member in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida, where she teaches courses on mental health and aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and geriatric case management, and is also the Director of the Student Internship Program. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a member of the National Association of Social Workers Academy of Certified Social Workers.
Email: mkaplan@luna.cas.usf.edu

Cathy McEvoy, Ph.D., Professor, Director, School of Aging Studies

(Experimental Psychology), 1982, University of South Florida. Professor.
Interests: Dr. McEvoy conducts research on memory performance in normal aging. She has special interest in the implicit and explicit influences on memory, and how those influences are affected by normal aging. In addition, Dr. McEvoy’s research has focused on techniques for memory improvement, and the application of basic memory research to understanding cognition in deaf and hearing-impaired adults.
E-mail: cmcevoy@cas.usf.edu

Jessica McIlvane, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies

(Developmental Psychology), 2001, Fordham University, Bronx, NY. Assistant Professor.
Interests: Dr. McIlvane’s research interests focus on coping with stress and chronic illness in adulthood (e.g., vision impairment, arthritis, daily hassles). In particular, her research involves identifying factors that may influence coping with Osteoarthritis, such as age, race, and socioeconomic status. She is also interested in the stress-buffering effects of social relationships on well-being.
E-mail: mcilvane@cas.usf.edu

Glenn Mitchell, Ph.D., Director, Florida Data Center on Aging

(Ph.D., University of Iowa, 1991) Quantitative Research Methods; Aging Policy and Health Policy Research
Email: gmitchel@cas.usf.edu

Larry Polivka, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Associate Director, School of Aging Studies and Director, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging

(Sociology) 1978, Florida State University. Associate Professor and Associate Director School of Aging Studies; Director, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging and Florida Center for Creative Aging.
Interests: Long-term care; health care reform; housing and the elderly; managed care; ethics and politics of caregivng; globalization/population aging; politics of aging; cultures of aging; and the arts/humanities and aging.
Email: lpolivka@cas.usf.edu

Sandra Reynolds, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Director Academic Affairs, School of Aging Studies

(Gerontology/Public Policy) 1996, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA., Associate Professor.
Interests: Dr. Reynolds conducts research on obesity and its impact on the length and quality of life in older adults. Dr. Reynolds has special interest in obesity as a factor in allostatic load, and in its relation to the other biological markers that make up allostatic load. Dr. Reynolds is particularly interested in the relationship between obesity, inflammation, and cognition.
E-mail: sreynold@cas.usf.edu

Brent Small, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Aging Studies

PhD (Life-span Developmental Psychology) 1995, University of Victoria, Associate Professor.
Interests: Dr. Small conducts research on memory and cognitive performance in normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Dr. Small has special interest in the early detection of individuals who are at risk of developing AD. In addition, Dr. Small’s research has focused on specialized statistical techniques for measuring change.
E-mail:bsmall@cas.usf.edu