ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë

Dr. Adams is a nationally certified and Vermont-licensed audiologist. She teaches audiology and undergraduate clinical coursework in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. She provides clinical instruction and direct patient care at the Eleanor M. Luse Center for Communication, the university's on-campus non-profit speech, language and hearing clinic.

Clinical specialties include auditory assessment, tinnitus management, treatment of hearing loss, and hearing aid fittings utilizing evidence-based practice. She mentors undergraduate students interested in pursuing an advanced degree in audiology and facilitates opportunities for audiology clinical internships. Dr. Adams holds the American Board of Audiology’s Certificate in Audiology Precepting (CH-AP) and coordinates the Department’s graduate audiology practicum experience.

The Dumas Lab combines psychopharmacology and functional imaging to study cognition before and after menopause. Recent projects have used cholinergic and dopaminergic medications in combination with estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women to understand how estrogen interacted with these neurotransmitter systems to affect cognition. We also use fMRI to compare neural activation during medication challenge to placebo.

Through our research studies we hope to further the understanding of neurotransmitter-based mechanisms involved in and responsible for successful adaptation of the brain to the hormonal change at menopause. Additionally, the results from these studies may inform the development of therapeutic strategies for prevention and intervention of cognitive decline.

Natalie Elder, MD is an emergency medicine physician at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Medical Center, and an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Larger College of Medicine. Her research interests include care of older adults in the emergency department.

Dr. Elder believes in practicing patient-centered care in partnership with families and caregivers. Her goal is to cultivate a safe, warm and communicative environment in the emergency department so the whole team can deliver excellent patient care.

Nancy Gell's research focuses on promotion of healthy behaviors to prevent functional loss in people aging with chronic disease and fall risk. Her current research agenda includes testing interventions to support physical activity and exercise participation among people aging with cancer and osteoarthritis, and examining factors associated with fall risk in older adults.

The breadth of her scholarship activity is a reflection of more than 25 years of clinical experience as a physical therapist in addition to the education and training she's received in public health and exercise science. Her research has the broad aim of supporting healthy aging for people with disability and chronic disease with a particular focus on environmental and technological influences on physical activity, exercise adherence, and fall prevention.

Dr. Amanda Kallen is an Associate Professor and physician-scientist in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Larner College of Medicine. Her research focuses on mechanisms driving reproductive aging, with a particular emphasis on how these processes contribute to health, aging and overall lifespan.

Dr. Kallen has been recognized for her work on ovarian senescence as a driver of female reproductive aging and is currently the principal investigator on an NIH-funded R01 grant investigating novel mechanisms of ovarian aging. Dr. Kallen brings a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and expertise in the determinants of female reproductive aging and their impact on future disease risk to the ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Center on Aging. She is particularly interested in life course approaches to reproductive health, examining factors that bridge ovarian and systemic aging to inform strategies to optimize health across the lifespan.

Dr. Kelly Melekis has taught courses on social work practice, research methods, and death, dying and bereavement for over 20 years. She practiced as a clinical social worker in geriatric mental health and substance use, and taught social work practice, policy and research at Boston University, University of Hawaii, and Skidmore College. A U.S. Fulbright Scholar, she recently explored cultural variations in end-of-life care at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.

As a gerontological social worker, Dr. Melekis’s scholarship focuses on 1) the health and well-being of vulnerable and oppressed older adults, particularly in terms of homelessness, housing, and social environment, and 2) the education and training of social workers, especially in terms of interprofessional practice in health and aging. Underlying the substantive content of her research are methodological considerations rooted in social justice and a commitment to including the voices and perspectives of marginalized populations and those who serve them, thereby providing a comprehensive sense of what works, for whom, and in what ways. She conducts primarily community-based research, with an emphasis on collaborative, participatory methods and her work contributes to improved policy, program development, and effective interprofessional practice.

Christine M. Proulx, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Her primary research is shaped by her belief that interpersonal relationships are the bedrock of our health and wellbeing across the life course, and she incorporates this belief in her classes on adult development and aging and family relationships.

Dr. Proulx's research focuses on adults’ social relationships, roles, and health, with a particular emphasis on marriage and caregiving in mid- and later-life. Her work examines how close relationships and social roles change over time, and how those changes are associated with increases and decreases in mental, physical, and cognitive health. She specializes in quantitative data analyses, with an emphasis in longitudinal and dyadic modeling.

Dr. Peters’ primary area of expertise concerns neural correlates of motor impairment and recovery, with an emphasis on walking function, after neurologic injury such as stroke and spinal cord injury. Her research focuses on brain-behavior relationships by utilizing MRI (diffusion tensor imaging), quantitative measures of motor function (EMG, kinetics), and clinical measures of impairment and activity. Dr. Peters has additional interests in neurologic rehabilitation strategies and outcome measure assessment.

Dr. Maija Reblin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine in the Larner College of Medicine at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë.

Trained as a social and health psychologist, her research focuses on understanding the social context of family caregivers of those with serious illness and using this knowledge to develop strengths-based interventions. Specific areas of focus include relationship quality, social support, and interpersonal communication. Dr. Reblin has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has completed and ongoing funding as PI and co-I from the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Maija Reblin, Ph.D. is also co-leader for the ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Cancer Center’s Cancer Control and Population Health Sciences program. In this capacity, Dr. Reblin serves on the ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Cancer Center senior leadership team.

Janelle, a Massachusetts native, earned her undergraduate degree from ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë in 2014. Upon graduating, she worked for a year in early childhood special education nursing. In 2015, she accepted a position in the general surgical unit at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë Medical Center. With a passion for education, she later began teaching clinicals for nursing students in various clinical specialties, including cardiology, orthopedics, and general surgery, as she pursued her master’s degree in nursing education. Following her master’s graduation from Norwich University in 2020, she accepted a position at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë. She is currently co-teaching courses in Gerontology and Introduction to Clinical Practice and continues to serve as a clinical instructor.

Prof. Shea is a sociocultural anthropologist who specializes in global health, social gerontology, and medical and psychological anthropology. She directs the Health and Society Program and heads the Global Health Concentration in Anthropology and teaches courses in medical anthropology, global health, health and society, the anthropology of aging, and research methods. Prof. Jeanne Shea's research interests revolve around health and healing, human development and aging, lifecycle and generational issues, marital and family relationships, caregiving in family and community context, and economic development and social change. In her research, she examines the influences of culture on experiences of health, illness, healing, caregiving, and health care. She is fascinated by cultural and generational differences in experiences of the lifecycle, in the different kinds of health concerns and social issues that mark lifecourse transitions, and in how people view and approach the challenges and opportunities posed by aging societies.

John Steele Taylor, MD, is a physician in the Neurology department and co-director of the Memory Program at The University of Vermont Medical Center. His clinical interests in neurodegeneration, neurocognitive disorders and Alzheimer's Disease include early and pre-clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Taylor frequently cares for patients with Alzheimer's, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.  

Dr. Taylor oversees comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and subsequent longitudinal care of patients with possible degenerative neurocognitive disorders. He is excited to have entered this field during a time in which there is tremendous growth in understanding of the pathological basis for these conditions, with many promising therapies on the horizon. He considers himself fortunate to work in a clinic with excellent nurse practitioners and social workers to aid in the management of the multiple psycho-social aspects of these conditions. 

Dr. Taylor’s research interests involve healthy brain aging, neuronal network dysfunction and dementia care delivery. 

Julia Walberg is a nationally certified and Vermont-licensed speech-language pathologist, as well as an academic advisor and senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. She teaches a range of courses focused on language and communication, with a special interest in the media representation of communication differences and disorders. In this particular course, Julia creates space for discussions on how media portrayals influence public perception and behavior toward underrepresented groups. She is also involved with the Burlington Aphasia Choir, coordinating volunteer opportunities for CSD students to support individuals with aphasia, often resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury. Julia is committed to fostering opportunities for older individuals to interact with students, helping future healthcare providers understand the unique barriers this population faces and reflect on how to address these challenges.

Jacqueline (Jackie) S. Weinstock, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Human Development and Family Science undergraduate program. She is also an affiliated faculty member in the Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies Program at ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë, which offers a minor in Sexuality and Gender Identity Studies.

A lifespan developmental psychologist by training with a focus on adult development and aging, her scholarship and teaching focus on the intersections of individual developmental factors and socio-cultural conditions as they affect life outcomes. Current areas of interest include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender development, relationships and communities; promoting healthy aging; evaluating social justice programs and trainings; and understanding and promoting college student development, especially critical thinking, connected knowing and community engagement through service-learning.