I am a Research Scientist II at the New York State Department of Health in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Surveillance. I am currently evaluating process and outcomes for three program groups funded by the CDC. These projects include a quality improvement project in New York state maternity hospitals seeking to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates in newborns; a physical education support project delivered through a policy-to-practice initiative, Healthy Schools NY, designed to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease tobacco use in schools; and a point-of-sale analysis for the Tobacco Control Program to explore possible relationships between youth tobacco use and distance of schools from tobacco retailers.

I also retain faculty affiliation as an Assistant Research Professor with the School of Social Welfare at the University of Albany. In my dual role as social psychologist and clinical social worker, I conducted basic and applied research in gerontology at the university during the last decade. Partnering with various colleagues in the aging, I was involved in a wide variety of projects, including evidence-based clinical interventions for depression and anxiety in older home care clients, informal caregiver network structure and expansion via the internet, depression screening in older inpatient populations, and the structure of social cognitions in people age 55+ regarding health risk behaviors.

My most recent project at the university, partnering with Dr. Zvi Gellis of the University of Pennsylvania, focused on mental distress and help-seeking behavior in NORC (naturally occuring retirement community) residents. We are currently preparing a manuscript based on this data for publication.