Join Us!
We have multiple unpaid positions for research assistants and interns. These positions offer flexible hours and involve tasks such as literature review, data collection, data analysis, project management, and providing interventions to older adults. Opportunities to coauthor manuscripts are available. Undergraduate and graduate students in Psychology, BCN, Public Health, and Social Work are welcome to apply. Interested candidates should email xiangxi@umich.edu.
TEAM EMPOWER@HOME
Principal investigator
Xiaoling Xiang /Shaolin Shawn/, PhD, MSW, MPhil
Research Associate
TBD
University of Michigan
BCN Student
Caroline Ciagne
University of Michigan
Cognitive Science & Psychology Student
Elyse Narbut
University of Michigan
UROP Student
Anastasia Zhang
University of Michigan School of Information
Co-Investigators on R01 Project
Joseph Himle, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Jennie Jester, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Ruopeng An, PhD
NYU Silver School of Social Work
Community Partners - Current
Senior Resources
An Area Agency on Aging providing comprehensive services to older adults and families in West Michigan. Address: 560 Seminole Road, Muskegon, MI 49444
Hannan Center
The mission of the Hannan Center is to preserve the dignity and enhance the quality of life of older adults 55+ in Michigan. Address: 4750 Wooodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
University Settlement Society of New York
The University Settlement Society of New York is an American organization which provides educational and social services to immigrants and low-income families.
CareWell Services Southwest
An area agency on aging charged to identify the needs of seniors and develop plans to enable older adults to maintain their independence with dignity through person-centered services. Serving Barry and Calhoun Counties, Michigan.
Acknowledgements
The development and evaluation of Empower@Home would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of numerous individuals who have contributed in various capacities. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to:
- Technical Advisor: Alex Halavanau
- Technical Support: Robert LaRoe
- Web Developers: Ruochong Chen, Wonbin Jin, Duy Nguyen, Angela Peng, Rushi Saha, Roee Tsimhoni, Andrew Wilks-Millard, Ethan Yeager
- UX Design: Zi Wang
- Research Assistants: Ella Baranski, Sari Bircoll, Emily Clausen, Hanuel Chun, Asha Dimoji, Kayla Drifka, Luke Estey, Daisy Galgon, Carly Gosdzinski, Nahush Keshav, Nicole Kodkany, Hailey Mauro, Nicole Mueller, Madeline Poupard, Sofia Ruiz-Sierra, Sydney Shaevitz, Allison Uzarek, Zilin Zhu, Chuxuan Zheng
- Student Coaches: Claire Butcher, Katelyn Burd, Charlotte Drumm, Michaela Foster, Natalie Francis, Sarai Koster-Stetson, Elena McLellan, Brianna Muzzall, Kennedy Van
- Social Work Interns: Glory Kubicek, Sarah Minnis, Ruby Tan
- Community Partners: A&D Home Health Care, AgeWell Services of West Michigan, Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Catholic Human Services, EightCap, Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging, Healthier Black Elders Center, Huron Valley PACE, Jewish Family Services of Metropolitan Detroit, Leelanau County Senior Services, MDHHS, National Church Residences, Northern Health Care Management, Region 2 Area Agency on Aging, Region VII Area Agency on Aging, Related Management, Senior Alliance, Senior Resources, Shiawassee Council on Aging, Valley Area Agency on Aging, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels.
Special thanks to advisory board members and study participants for their willingness to engage with the program and provide essential feedback, which has been instrumental in advancing Empower@Home.
*Note: Names are listed alphabetically by last name.
Funding
2021: Empower@Home was developed with generous financial support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2007-147203).
2022-2023: Efficacy testing of Empower@Home was supported by funds from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2107-149026) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (E20225002-00, E20233264-00, E20242735-00) from 2022 to 2024.
Current:
- R01MH137064. This R01 project, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH), tests the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home.
- 90IFRE0097. This FIP project, sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), focuses on the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home on social participation of older adults with disabilities.