By Geralyn Magan
Verena R. Cimarolli, Ph.D., and Alexandra Hennessa have joined the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston’s Washington, DC-based research team.
Verena R. Cimarolli, Ph.D., and Alexandra Hennessa recently joined the staff of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. Both researchers will work in the Center’s Washington, DC office at LeadingAge.
VERENA CIMAROLLI: SENIOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Verena Cimarolli, Ph.D., joins the LTSS Center as senior health services research associate.
Cimarolli brings more than 20 years of experience in applied research to the LTSS Center. Most recently, she served as senior research scientist at The New Jewish Home’s Research Institute on Aging in New York. She is also an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Social Work and the Psychology Department at Fordham University in Bronx, NY.
Cimarolli holds doctoral and master’s degrees in applied developmental psychology from Fordham University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from City College of the City University of New York. Over the last several years, her research has focused on several key areas, including:
- The impact of sensory impairments on older adult well-being, service utilization, and health outcomes in long-term and post-acute care;
- Interventions to address the impact of sensory impairments on service utilization and health outcomes in long-term and post-acute care.
- Person- and community-related protective and risk factors associated with post-acute care transitions.
- Social participation and integration among older adults with chronic illness.
- Social support for frail older adults living with chronic illness, with a focus on geographically distant caregivers.
Cimarolli has also conducted evaluations of technology interventions supporting frail older adults and their formal caregivers, person-centered care initiatives, and substance abuse recovery services delivered in a post-acute care setting.
ALEXANDRA HENNESSA: RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Alexandra Hennessa joins the LTSS Center as a research assistant. She will support LTSS Center staff in conducting collaborative and comprehensive LeadingAge member surveys. Hennessa earned a master’s degree in social work, with a concentration in social change, from George Mason University (GMU) in 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from GMU.
Prior to her arrival at the LTSS Center, Hennessa worked as a student intern at the Arlington County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in Arlington, VA, where she conducted research on aging trends in Arlington County, worked with advocates on the Commission on Aging, monitored the supportive services offered through the AAA, and created and cultivated relationships with community stakeholders.
Her prior experience includes working directly with adolescents in a residential setting, conducting outreach and case management for a nonprofit outpatient counseling office, and offering information and referral services in Prince William County, VA.