The PLACE (Populations Living Alone and their Care Experiences) lab investigates how aging adults with limited family ties navigate long-term care, healthcare utilization and spending, and the end-of-life. Student projects explore topics such as the unique caregiving challenges faced by LGBTQ+ older adults, the impact of child loss, and the healthcare experiences of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), contributing to research that informs more inclusive care policies and support systems.
FACULTY LEADS
Christine A. Mair (PhD, Sociology)
Dr. Mair studies how the presence or absence of family and non-family ties are linked to social support and social integration, and how these processes differentially shape mental health, physical health, and care experiences in the United States and cross-nationally.
Jun Chu (PhD, Health Services Research)
Dr. Chu studies the intersection of health policy and immigrants in the US. Jun’s other research interest includes patients and caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, impacts of social risk factors on healthcare access and utilization in the US, and quantitative research methods.
TEAM
Rose Anderson (MA, Applied Sociology)
Rosie is pursuing her PhD in Gerontology at UMB-UMBC, after earning her master’s in applied sociology from UMBC in 2023. Her research is focused on how life transitions like immigration and bereavement impact mental and physical health, with an emphasis on family relationships, cultural background, and social support networks. She uses both quantitative and qualitative methods in her work. Her goal is to better understand how these factors interact to influence health outcomes.
Claire McDonald (MS, Psychology)
Claire is pursuing her PhD in Gerontology at UMB-UMBC, after earning her master’s in psychology from William & Mary in 2024. Her research focuses on the unique experiences of aging in the LGBTQ+ community, exploring how social support, identity, and healthcare access affect health outcomes and well-being. She is particularly interested in the role of chosen families and addressing disparities in mental and physical health among older LGBTQ+ adults.
Yoon Chung Kim (MHS, Mental Health)
Yoon is a PhD student in Gerontology at UMB-UMBC in the epidemiology track, with a background in international finance and counseling psychology. She has studied aging and mental health at Seoul National University, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins. At UMB-UMBC, she has contributed to research on dementia care, programs for those living alone with dementia, and traumatic brain injury in older adults. Skilled in qualitative and quantitative methods, she aims to expand global research on aging and ADRD.
Sara Hawley (Major: Public Health)
Sara Hawley is a third-year undergraduate at UMBC, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health with minors in biology and sociology as well as a Social Dimensions of Health certificate. She is interested in social epidemiology, focusing on how social ties and connectedness influence health outcomes in aging populations and mitigate diseases such as cancer, dementia, and other chronic conditions. By analyzing these relationships, she aims to understand how social support impacts health and to develop both informal and formal caregiving strategies to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.