Our team returned from the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting after numerous presentations, attending great sessions, and enjoying stimulating conversations with new and old colleagues. Many researchers from the national network of HRSA-funded Health Workforce Research Centers were there, and our strong relationships and collaboration benefit the work we do to support policies that will create a stable and skilled health workforce for our nation. | |
At the end of June, founding Deputy Director Susan Chapman, PhD, RN, will become Professor Emeritus and retire from her leadership role at the UCSF HWRC-LTC. We are pleased to share that Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, will become the Deputy Director starting July 1. Laura has been our Associate Director for Research for the past several years and is well-prepared to steer our work in the future.
Joanne Spetz, PhD, FAAN
Director
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We’re pleased to share that Joanne Spetz has been appointed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee, “A Data Infrastructure for Measuring the Care Economy.” The committee will assess the current state of data related to the care economy in the U.S. and explore ways to improve, expand, and integrate these data systems. The goal is to support a deeper understanding of the care economy and inform future policy and planning. A final report will provide key findings and recommendations to guide this important work.
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Chanee Fabius received an award from the Johns Hopkins Nexus Convening Award for a conference titled, "Strategies to Improve Shared Care between Family Caregivers and the Paid Direct Care Workforce." HWRC Deputy Director Susan Chapman is a collaborator on the project. The convening will take place in April 2026 in Washington, DC. The focus of the convening is on shared care between family caregivers and direct care workers.
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Alissa Sideman, PhD, MPH, MA, has been promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of Neurology within the UCSF School of Medicine. Dr. Sideman is core faculty in the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, as well as faculty in the Global Brain Health Institute at UCSF, and is an active contributor to the UCSF HWRC for Long Term Care. Her work centers on advancing the assessment, diagnosis, and care of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, with a specific emphasis on the primary care setting.
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Chen, L., & Kietzman, K. (2025). How does age matter? Investigating the experience of financial strain, health, and well-being among adults who need long-term services and supports. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf051
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Travers, J. L., Reckrey, J. M., Frogner, B. K., Grabowski, D. C., & Spetz, J. (2025). The dementia care workforce: Essential to care, but large research gaps exist. Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 21(5), e70269. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70269
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Makam, A. N., O'Riordan, D. L., Heitner, R., Bowman, B., Spetz, J., & Pantilat, S. Z. (2025). Palliative care services in long-term acute care hospitals: A national survey study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.03.009
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- HWRC researchers participated at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting this June in Minneapolis, MN. See below for the impressive list!
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Developing the Next Generation Health Policy Workforce to Advance Health and Health Care – Joanne Spetz, podium speaker
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Evaluation of the CalGrows Innovation Fund Direct Care Training and Stipends Program – Jackie Miller & Xenia Mendez, poster presentation
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Geographic Proximity, “Shelter-in-Place” Policies, and Changes in Caregiving for Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Lei Chen, poster presentation
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Health Workforce Interest Group: Caring for an Aging America: Addressing Workforce Challenges through Research and Data – Joanne Spetz and Lei Chen, panelists
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Nurse Midwives’ Participation in Clinical Precepting: Current Status and Barriers – Amy Quan, poster presentation
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Preventing State Spending Growth Target Impact on the Health Workforce – Jackie Miller, poster presentation
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Trends in California Physicians Specialty, Age, and Geography, 2015-2023 – Margaret Fix and Janet Coffman poster presentation
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When Coverage is Denied - Independent Medical Review Patterns for Cancer Genetic Testing: A Four-State Analysis - Grace Lin and Janet Coffman, poster presentation
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Aminah Khan presented “A Dementia-Competent Workforce: An Analysis of Dementia Certification Programs and Recommendations” at the American Geriatrics Society Annual Conference, May 8-10 in Chicago. HWRC co-investigator Laura Wagner was a coauthor of the presentation.
- Joanne Spetz presented at the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, Philadelphia, June 2-4:
- Nurse Practitioners Providing Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
- Nurse-Midwives’ Participation in Clinical Precepting: Current Status and Barriers
- Developing regional forecasts of nursing supply and demand: Data and methodological challenges
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Denise Tyler will present research conducted with Susan Chapman at the upcoming Transforming Care Conference in Helsinki, taking place June 25–27. Their presentation, titled “Disability and Worker Rights in Cash and Care Programs: Where Are We Now?” will explore the current landscape of worker protections and disability rights within cash-for-care systems. Joanne Spetz will participate in a panel discussion, “Understanding, enhancing, and sustaining the quality of life at work for long-term care workers.”
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Joanne Spetz will present “Services, Regulations, Training, and Staffing in U.S. Residential Care Facilities” at the International Health Economics Association, Bali, July 20-24.
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The UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care (UCSF HWRC) is a dynamic hub of policy-oriented research and investigation, established through support from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis in the U.S. Bureau of Health Workforce. UCSF HWRC closely examines the health care workforce and helps shape policies to meet expanding LTC needs. Our research includes the workforce in nursing homes, home health care, adult day care, community-based settings, and home settings, and includes all LTC occupations.
Director: Joanne Spetz, PhD, FAAN
Deputy Director: Susan Chapman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Director for Research: Laura Wagner, PhD, RN, FAAN
Visit: https://healthworkforce.ucsf.edu/about
Follow on Twitter: @ucsfhwrc or Bluesky: @ucsfhwrc.bsky.social
This newsletter highlights new HWRC publications, as well as workforce-related research conducted by our team at the Institute for Health Policy Studies and Healthforce Center at UCSF, and other research partners.
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