Student Spotlight - Erika Rogan

Even as a high school volunteer in a local nursing home, Erika Rogan could see that elders who had active social support fared better. Now a fifth year doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Erika’s work on social service spending and older adult health outcomes is being recognized by the American Public Health Association’s Aging and Public Health Section.

The research looks at state level social service spending and its relationship to health outcomes for the elderly. Generally, says Erika, the data show that public investments in things like nutrition and transportation services do make a difference in the prevalence of chronic diseases among seniors, especially cardiovascular conditions. Evidence from this work can be used to inform state officials as they design programs and services for their older constituents. The study received honorable mention for the 2016 Laurence G. Branch Doctoral Student Research award, sponsored by the Retirement Research Foundation.

A former consultant for a firm that evaluated government programs of the Food and Drug Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and more, Erika feels aging is an important aspect of life to focus her research on. The demographic size of older Americans is growing rapidly and seniors have a lot of unmet needs. And while the population is diverse, the experience of older age affects everyone. That makes the work personal and helps decision makers rise above politics for the greater good, even if their approaches are ideologically different, says Erika.

Erika has worked closely with Yale School of Public Health professors Elizabeth Bradley, Mark Schlesinger, and Leslie Curry as well as with Richard Marotolli, a geriatrician at the Yale School of Medicine.