Doing Translational Research

In this episode BCTR director Karl Pillemer welcomes Dr. Monika Safford to discuss how the chronically ill rural poor are underserved or completely unserved by the current health care system. This lack of resources has created resourceful and creative community medical groups that fill in the gaps, and with whom Dr. Safford and her team have partnered to address the health crises in their communities. Dr. Safford is the John J. Kulper Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She is a clinician-investigator with clinical expertise in preventive healthcare, treatment of acute and chronic illness, and the coordination of care for those with complex diseases. She is an expert in patient-centered research on diabetes, cardiovascular epidemiology and prevention, and health disparities.

Peter Lloyd-Sherlock examines the social protection, health, and well being of older people in developing countries. In this conversation he looks at some myths about elder care in developing countries (strong family support is not always present or adequate), considers the responsibilities of researchers who collaborate with NGOs, and calls for greater social care for elders. Peter Lloyd-Sherlock is Professor of Social Policy & International Development in the School of International Development at East Anglia University, England. His main area of research is the social protection, health, and well being of older people in developing countries. He is also interested in the economic and social effects of non-communicable diseases, such as stroke, heart disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. He works closely with a wide range of international development agencies.

Dana Weiner provides analytic consultaion to child welfare systems, using existing data to help policy makers better help children in need. She and Karl discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with using data and research evidence to inform decision making in public policy. Her highly collaborative work focuses on the prevention of problems before they occur. Dana Weiner is a policy fellow at the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, where she provides analytic consultation and policy guidance to child welfare jurisdictions across the country. Dr. Weiner teaches Data for Policy Analysis and Management to master's students at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, and her research has focused on quantifying resource accessibility - analyzing the role of geospatial relationships in child welfare systems - and on evaluating the implementation of evidence-based models in child welfare and juvenile justice contexts.

In this episode Karl chats with Dr. Elissa Kozlov about psychological support for patients in palliative care. Dr. Kozlov also discusses insurance coverage for mental health in palliative care, support for family members, and the important difference between palliative and hospice care (they're not at all the same thing!). Dr. Elissa Kozlov is a T32 post-doctoral fellow at Weill Cornell Medical College at the Center for End-of-Life Research. She earned her doctorate from Washington University in both Clinical and Aging and Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on mental health assessment and intervention within palliative care, patient and family knowledge of palliative care, later life family communication, and barriers to palliative care integration and utilization. Dr. Karl Pillemer is director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development, and Professor of Gerontology in Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College.

In this episode Karl and Marney Thomas discuss her decades of work evaluating military programs that support soldiers' and their families' health and well being. Marney Thomas is Military Projects Director Emeritus and Co-Principal Investigator Military Projects in the BCTR. Her research includes examining the implementation/impact of US Army family program services, the effects of deployment on military family functioning, and evaluation studies on family violence intervention programs.

In this episode Megan Comfort and Karl chat about deeper engagement with communities, particularly post-study, integrating community feedback into the research process, and the effects of incarceration on families. Megan Comfort is a senior research sociologist in Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International’s Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice research division. Her research interests and areas of expertise include families and incarceration, HIV risk and prevention, and health inequities among urban poor populations. Her book "Doing Time Together: Love and Family in the Shadow of the Prison" (University of Chicago Press, 2008), analyzes the “secondary prisonization” of women in relationships with incarcerated men.

Dr. Mardelle M. Shepley is a professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis and associate director of the Cornell Institute for Health Futures. A registered architect, she interweaves teaching and practice. She and Karl discuss using evidence-based design to solve problems, the impact of the physical environment on behavior, collaborating with those who will use a space, and the importance of incorporating access to nature into design.

This time Karl welcomes Jen Agans, assistant director of the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE). They discuss the importance of research/community partnerships, Agan's research on children's out-of-school time, and Agans explains what exactly the 4-H program is. Dr. Jennifer Agans is assistant director of PRYDE in the Bronfenbrenner Center. Before coming to Cornell University, she received her Ph.D. and M.A. in child study and human development from Tufts University and her B.A. in psychology from Macalester College. Dr. Agans’ research focuses on youth development within out-of-school time contexts, and her work with PRYDE builds on her interest in bridging youth research and practice.

Brian Leidy is director of The Military Projects in the Bronfenbrenner Center. He and Karl discuss the project's work doing process evaluation for the military and the challenges and importance of supporting this unique community. Brian D. Leidy is a senior extension associate and the principal investigator for the Military Projects in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. This work is funded primarily through grants from USDA/NIFA. He has formerly worked as a managerial consultant for social service agencies and educational institutions evaluating training, social service programs, and policy initiatives; and at Cornell doing training in supervision and administration with adult protective service supervisors and adult home administrators throughout New York State. Prior to coming to Cornell, he worked in public child welfare and mental health programs for children and adolescents.

In this episode Karl Pillemer talks with Marianella Casasola about her work examining infant cognitive development, early word learning, and early spatial cognition. Dr. Casasola talks about her experiences partnering with Head Start to do research, details of her more recent findings, and she gives some advice that any new parent can easily employ to boost infant learning. Marianella Casasola is an associate professor of human development and a faculty fellow of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) at Cornell University. She studies infant cognitive development and early word learning with a particular interest in the interaction between thought and language during the first few years of development. She is especially interested in the emergence of spatial concepts, the early acquisition of spatial language, and the interplay between spatial cognition and spatial language in infants and young children.

This time Karl talks with Christopher Wildeman about his research on mass incarceration and inequality. Christopher Wildeman is an associate professor of policy analysis and management in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, where he is also co-director of the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect and a faculty fellow here in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. Chris talks about his research and the way working with communities has strengthened his work. His research and teaching interests revolve around the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with emphasis on families, health, and children. He is also interested in child welfare, especially as relates to child maltreatment and the foster care system.

In this episode Bronfenbrenner Center director Karl Pillemer talks with Anthony Burrow, assistant professor of Human Development, director of the Purpose and Identity Processes Lab, and co-director of the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) at Cornell. Karl and Tony discuss the importance of purpose in the lives of young people and the ways that we can encourage youth connection to purpose for their own benefit.

In this episode Bronfenbrenner Center director Karl Pillemer talks with Corinna Loeckenhoff, associate professor of Human Development and director of the Laboratory for Healthy Aging at Cornell and associate professor of Gerontology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Karl and Corinna discuss Dr. Loeckenhoff's research on aging and its effects on emotional and mental health, including the reminder that aging is not dying. They also talk about the new book "Emotion, Aging, and Health" (American Psychological Association), which expands on ideas explored in the 2013 Bronfenbrenner Conference. Corinna Loeckenhoff co-edited the book with Anthony Ong, also of the Department of Human Development at Cornell.

In this episode we hear from Andy Turner, who heads the 4-H Youth Development Program in New York State. He talks with BCTR director Karl Pillemer about 4-H/Cornell connections and changes he sees that will keep 4-H at the forefront of youth development programming. Andy has over 25 years' experience in Cooperative Extension/4-H. Advancing environmental education and sustainability, and applying a facilitative leadership style towards organizational change and innovation are two consistent themes throughout his career. Andy earned his bachelor's and master's from Cornell University and his Ed.D in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College.

In our second episode BCTR director Karl Pillmer talks to Dr. Charles Izzo, a research associate in the BCTR studying the multi-level processes by which programmed interventions influence human functioning and health. His work focuses on factors that influence the quality of interactions between those in the helping professions (youth workers, home visitors) and the clients they serve, and translating research knowledge into useful tools for practitioners and administrators.

In this episode of Doing Translational Research, BCTR director Karl Pillemer interviews Cornell professor of nutritional science Carol Devine. Professor Devine studies how food choices over the life course are shaped by life transitions, social roles, and the lived environment.