The HEARD Study Team consists of interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multilingual faculty, staff, and postdocs who are implementing all study activities. We partner with our Community Advisory Board (CAB) for ongoing feedback about the study process and findings.
Krista Harrison, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Krista Harrison designed and will lead this study. She is a health policy, ethics, and health services researcher and former hospice administrator. She is an Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies within the UCSF Department of Medicine. Krista is part of a family of three humans who own ~10 bicycles.
Shira Rutman, MPH
Project Director
Shira Rutman will support project design and implementation. She will also be involved in data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Shira has focused on community-based research and community partnership in much of her work. She enjoys spending time in Golden Gate Park near her home in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, and one senior cat.
Salish Harrison, BA
Policy Analyst
Salish Harrison has worked at UCSF since 2019 as a Project Policy Analyst. Salish will help guide engagement with Black participants and involved communities, and support data collection, analysis, and dissemination, as well as tracking and other systems. In his spare time he dabbles in photography and painting.
José Johnson, MS
Research Associate
Jose Johnson is a global health researcher with a focus on qualitative methods and community-based work. He will support the HEARD study’s efforts to improve end-of-life care in hospice care for older adults, including community engagement, data collection, and manuscript development. Jose enjoys reading, hiking, and going to concerts in his free time.
Niousha Moini, MD, MPH
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Niousha is a geriatrician and T32 research fellow in aging focused on improving the care of older minoritized patient populations with an interest in resilience and end-of-life care and experiences. Niousha is passionate about social justice, education, photography, music, and poetry.
Lingsheng Li, MD, MHS
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Li is a geriatrics and palliative care physician-researcher focused on improving communication and care for Chinese-speaking older adults. She will lead engagement with AAPI participants and involved communities, including data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Lingsheng loves using drawing as a way to see and remember the world around her.
Jasmine Santoyo-Olsson, DrPH, MS
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Santoyo-Olsson is a public health researcher focused on improving care for Latino caregivers of people with dementia. She will lead engagement with Latino participants and involved communities, including data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Jasmine loves to rescue animals – she has 3 dogs, a parrot, and a snake.
Sarah Ngo, MLIS
Data Specialist
Sarah is a Data Specialist with a background in library and information science. She works with Dr. Li in engagement with AAPI participants and involved communities, including data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Sarah loves reading, listening to music, and learning to play the kalimba.
Daniel Dohan, PhD
Co-Investigator
Dan Dohan, PhD is a sociologist, ethnographer, and faculty member at the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. His work focuses on medical culture, inequality, and qualitative methods. In 1987, he worked at Abt Associates on the team that evaluated the original Medicare Hospice Benefit, and in his spare time, he is a home barista of espresso.
Lauren Hunt, RN, PhD, FNP-BC
Co-Investigator
Lauren is a PhD-trained nurse practitioner and health services researcher with a research focus on understanding the geriatric palliative care needs and experiences of older adults with dementia across care settings. Her research questions are driven by her professional experiences as a clinician working with seriously-ill older adults in acute care, hospice, and outpatient clinics, where she has witnessed firsthand how gaps in current care models negatively impact patients and families.
Jennifer E. James, PhD, MS, MSW
Co-Investigator
Dr. James is an Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Aging, the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Bioethics Program at UCSF. Jen is a qualitative researcher and Black Feminist scholar who conducts community-engaged qualitative research on racism and health. On the weekends, Jen can usually be found watching her kiddos play sports in the fog.
Alexander Keliimoeanu O’Haleakala Smith, MD, MPH, MS
Co-Investigator
Alex Smith, MD, MS, MPH is Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics, co-host of the GeriPal podcast, and co-founder of ePrognosis.org. Fun Fact: Alex plays a song request on guitar or keyboard during each weekly GeriPal podcast, over 300 so far!
Rebecca Sudore, MD
Co-Investigator
Dr. Rebecca Sudore, MD is a geriatrician, palliative medicine physician, and professor of medicine at UCSF. Her work focuses on implementation science, health literacy, health communication, and the design and testing of patient-focused educational interventions, particularly for different populations. She is the creator of the evidenced-based PREPARE for YOUR Care advance care planning program and the PREPARE for THEIR Care caregiver program.