May 2024

We are saddened to share the news that Leslie Ross, PhD, clinical psychologist and researcher in the Institute for Health and Aging and the UCSF Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences from 1997-2022, passed away in March at 64 years of life.

Leslie was extraordinarily energetic and dedicated to creating a more just and equitable society. She was interested in a diverse range of health care and policy issues across the life span, with an emphasis on the health care of adults, especially older individuals, and people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Her research examined the relationship between cognitive impairment and emotional functioning, issues of long-term care, and mental health. She was kind, generous, supportive, and lived her life with courage and dignity.

Leslie was an accomplished author and co-author with 39 articles published in leading peer-reviewed journals and 12 reports. She collaborated with colleagues across the School of Nursing and UCSF, including UCSF HWRC.

Leslie made valuable contributions to our HWRC research projects and we will miss her greatly.

Joanne Spetz, PhD, FAAN

Director

The 2024 ASHEcon Conference will be held in San Diego, California, from Monday, June 16 through Wednesday, June 19. Meet up with UCSF HWRC researchers and check out their presentations:

- Joanne Spetz will be on the panel, “Leveraging Data to Understand the Health Workforce Caring for Patients Living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.”

- Ulrike Muench and Joanne Spetz will present on “Nurse Practitioner Employment, Roles, and Experiences at the Advent of Expanded Scope of Practice.”

- Ulrike Muench will be on the panel, “The Effects of Nurse Anesthesia Supervision on Surgical Quality and Access.”

Get all the conference details and register now!

Join Us at AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting!

HWRC researchers are gearing up for AcademyHealth’s ARM, the largest forum for health services research, to be held June 29 through July 2 in Baltimore, MD. Have you registered yet?!

We’ll also be hosting the annual in-person meeting for the AWARD Network on Tuesday, July 2, starting after the ARM closing plenary and ending by 5:00 PM. Lunch will be served and there will be ample time for networking in addition to learning about emerging dementia care workforce topics.

HWRC Collaborates Internationally with Norway

Enjoying dinner at ASA: Frode Jacobsen, Laura Wagner, Brooke Hollister, Joanne Spetz, Charlene Harrington, and Susan Chapman

HWRC has a close working relationship with several Centres for Care Research in Norway. During the American Society on Aging conference in March, we were able to meet with Brooke Hollister (visiting faculty from Centre for Care Research in Agder, Norway, and IHA at UCSF) and Frode Jacobsen (visiting faculty from Centre for Care Research in Bergen, Norway).

The Centres’ goals are to gather, produce, and disseminate knowledge about care and caregiving. Over the past five years, UCSF HWRC has collaborated with the Centres on research, student exchanges, and sharing policy and program information.

Recent Presentations from UCSF HWRC-LTC Investigators

Kezia Scales presented “The direct care workforce: Recent research and recommendations for policy and practice” at the Winter Meeting of the Healthcare and Social Assistance (HCSA) Sector Council of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), Feb. 2024, Virtual. 

American Society on Aging in San Francisco

A number of UCSF HWRC’s researchers and affiliated researchers presented their latest findings to provide stimulating and engaging content at the American Society of Aging (ASA) Conference in San Francisco in March. Here are the highlights:

At their ASA presentation: Susan Chapman, Bianca Frogner, Deborah Schwartz, and Kezia Scales 

Susan Chapman (UCSF), Bianca Frogner (University of Washington), Deborah Schwartz (H-CAP), and Kezia Scales (PHI) together presented, "Overcoming the Direct Care Workforce Crisis Requires Evidence and Innovation.” They presented information on workforce definitions and data, program innovations, and research updates.

Joanne Spetz was a panelist in a session “Expanding Social Work’s Impact in Aging: Policy Developments and Opportunities.”

Jarmin Yeh presented at two sessions: “Not Your Typical Center: Co-designing an Affirming Adult Day Program with and for LGBTQ+ Older Adults” and “The (Re)making of Urban Space Through the Lens of Black Older Women.”  

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 US 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 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.