Biography
Dr. Kwak received her PhD in Aging Studies from the University of South Florida and her MSW in Social Work from the University of South Carolina. She is a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar (Cohort 11) as well as a Gerontological Society of America Fellow. She also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
Dr. Kwak’s research focuses on long-term care policy, dementia care and end-of-life decision-making. Her recent funded research projects include a study on decision-support needs among dementia caregivers, a pilot study on a decision-support coaching program for family caregivers, and a study of the effects of personalized music listening on nursing home residents with advanced dementia. Her research on dementia care and end-of-life decision-making has been featured in various news and media outlets including the Associated Press, USA Today, and Consider the Conversation, a documentary film about end-of-life care. Dr. Kwak is committed to conducting translational research with community partners to promote evidence-based patient-focused, family-centered support interventions for culturally diverse families.
Please visit the research lab site, http://gerontologylab.org/ , for more information on her program of research.
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NUR 4.146