Krista Harrison, PhD
Researcher
We must invest in structures that provide social, functional, medical and community support to people living with dementia and the people in their lives who care for them.
Current Work
Krista is an Associate Professor in the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF. Her research focuses on improving systems of care for older adults living at home with serious illnesses like dementia and their caregivers.
Words of Strength
Synthesizing and connecting
Vision
To reduce the scale and impact of dementia we must invest in structures that provide social, functional, medical and community support to people living with dementia and the people in their lives who care for them in the setting that best matches their needs and wishes.
Strategy
Krista is using existing survey data as well as talking to people living at home with dementia and their caregivers to understand what challenges they encounter and how we can improve their care, including through the end-of-life.
Impact
Since becoming an Atlantic Fellow Krista has worked with an interdisciplinary, international team to gather over 60 interviews with people living with different dementia syndromes, current caregivers, former caregivers, and clinicians. They use this data to inform clinical and policy interventions that better serve the geriatric palliative care needs of people with dementia.
Motivation
In the United States, more than 5.9 million people live with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD); up to 30% die at home every year with substantial caregiver support; this proportion is increasing over time.
Education & Experience
Krista completed a PhD in Bioethics, Health Policy & Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, postdoctoral training in aging research, implementation science, and brain health at UCSF; she obtained her undergraduate training in Biology and English at Williams College. In addition, she previously contributed to national program evaluations at Mathematica Policy Research and served as Director of Research and Education at Capital Caring, a large community-based non-profit hospice and palliative care provider serving the Washington DC metropolitan area. Krista is now an Associate Professor, Co-Director of the Pepper Center Vulnerable Aging Research Core, Associate Director of the T32 Fellowship and Wellness Officer in the Division of Geriatrics within the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco; and Associate Director of Training and Fellowship Director at Philip R. Lee Institute of Health Policy Studies at UCSF.
Awards & Honors
Featured Publications
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