UMass Boston

Gerontology Faculty

Full-Time Faculty

  • Jaqueline Contrera Avila, Assistant Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Email: jaqueline.avila@umb.edu
    Expertise: Social determinants of older adult health, tobacco-related disparities among older adults, cross-national comparisons of health and aging
  • Ellen Birchander, Graduate Program Director and Senior Lecturer, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: Click here to schedule a call
    Email: ellen.birchander@umb.edu
    Expertise: Health and physical aspects of aging, social aspects of aging, psychology of aging
  • Jeffrey Burr, Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7318
    Email: jeffrey.burr@umb.edu
    Expertise: Social demography of aging, household composition and living arrangements, race and ethnicity in aging populations, labor force participation in later life, productive activity in later life, aging and health
  • Marc Cohen, Clinical Professor, Department of Gerontology, and Co-Director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, Gerontology Institute
    Tel: 617.287.7306
    Email: marc.cohen@umb.edu
    Expertise: Financing Long-Term Services and Supports, Private Long-Term Care Insurance, Fall Prevention, Service Utilization patterns of Disabled Elders, Family Caregiving, Care Management and Care Transitions, Managing Long-Term Services and Supports Populations
  • Beth Dugan, Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7382
    Email: beth.dugan@umb.edu
    Expertise: Older drivers and state policy, healthy aging, psychological outcomes
  • Edward Alan Miller, Chair and Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7313
    Email: edward.miller@umb.edu
    Expertise: Aging and Long-term Care, Intergovernmental Relations, Program Implementation and Evaluation, Medicaid, Telemedicine and e-health
  • Jan Mutchler, Emeritus Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7321
    Email: jan.mutchler@umb.edu
    Expertise: Diversity in aging populations, intergenerational support in later life, health disparities in later life, economic security, the social demography of aging populations, age-friendly communities
  • Pamela Nadash, Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7342
    Email: pamela.nadash@umb.edu
    Expertise: Long term care policy, comparative health policy, consumer choice in health and long term supportive services, integrated care models
  • Sung Park, Assistant Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Email: sung.park@umb.edu
    Expertise: Minority aging, economic inequalities, work as a social determinant of health, caregiving, immigration, social demography 
  • Michelle Putnam, Professor, Department of Gerontology, and Director, Gerontology Institute
    Tel: 617.287.7304
    Email: Michelle.Putnam@umb.edu 
    Expertise: Aging with disability, entering later life with long-term impairments, functional limitations, and chronic conditions,  building capacity in aging and disability service networks
  • Nina Silverstein, Emeritus Professor, Department of Gerontology
    Email: nina.silverstein@umb.edu
    Expertise: Transportation and aging, Alzheimer’s disease, Age-Friendly Universities, Healthy aging
  • Qian Song, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7278
    Email: qian.song@umb.edu
    Expertise: Social Determinants of Health, Older Adults, Migration, Life Course Approach, Living Arrangements and Well-being, Work and Later Life, Institutional Discrimination and Health Outcomes
  • Jeffrey Stokes, Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director, PhD Program and Master's in Gerontology Research/Policy, Department of Gerontology
    Tel: 617.287.7239
    Email: jeffrey.stokes@umb.edu
    Expertise: Marriage and family, aging and life course, health and well-being, neighborhood effects, bereavement

Lecturer

Department Staff

  • Martin Hansen-Verma, Program Manager
    Office: Wheatley-03-0143
    Phone: 617.287.7338
    Email: Martin.Hansen@umb.edu
  • Maria A. MacKenzie, Administrative Assistant
    Office: Wheatley-03-0124
    Phone: 617.287.7301
    Email:  Maria.MacKenzie@umb.edu
  • Maria Mahoney, Director of Finance
    Office: Wheatley-03-0143
    Phone: 617.287.6677
    Email: Maria.Mahoney@umb.edu
  • Charles Ruberto, Program Coordinator
    Office: Wheatley-03-0143
    Phone: 617.287.7308
    Email: Charles.Ruberto@umb.edu