Who We Are
We are a diverse and engaged group of scholars, students, practitioners, and community members who are passionate about promoting healthy aging among urban older adults.
Faith Hopp, Ph.D. MA, MSW, is Director of the Wayne State University, Social Work PhD program, and Associate Professor and a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar. Prior to her faculty appointment at Wayne State University, she was a Research Investigator with the Health Services Research and Development Center of Excellence at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Dr. Hopp’s area of research and expertise include intervention research and policies affecting people facing chronic disease and end of life issues as well as telehealth systems and chronic illness care. She has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on federal and foundation grants focused on interventions and programs for people facing chronic diseases, including heart failure and diabetes, and end of life issues for these populations. Her current work focuses on community-based long-term care with a focus on hospice and palliative care programs. She is also Co-principal Investigator on a project with the Detroit Area Agency on Aging entitled Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
Dr. Hopp’s area of research and expertise include intervention research and policies affecting people facing chronic disease and end of life issues as well as telehealth systems and chronic illness care. She has served as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on federal and foundation grants focused on interventions and programs for people facing chronic diseases, including heart failure and diabetes, and end of life issues for these populations. Her current work focuses on community-based long-term care with a focus on hospice and palliative care programs. She is also Co-principal Investigator on a project with the Detroit Area Agency on Aging entitled Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
Cassandra J. Bowers Ph.D., MSW, LCSW, is Assistant Professor (Clinical) at Wayne State University, School of SocialWork. Dr. Bowers is the Coordinator of the Baccalaureate Social Work Program. She has been involved with the Baccalaureate Program Directors National Organization (BPD) as well as the Michigan Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Educators (MABSWE). Her involvement with BPD includes past service as national secretary and Continuing Education Coordinator, and Chair of the Social Work continuum Committee. She is currently serving as Vice President and Secretary of the (MABSWE).
Dr. Bowers’ areas of scholarship and expertise include a focus on gerontology and interprofessional education. Over the past five years Dr. Bowers has served as co-investigator of the Interprofessional Team Visit Project (IPTV) involving students working with older adults residing in the community. Currently Dr. Bowers leads the team in conducting the qualitative analysis for project and has presented at National Conferences on the IPTV project. Dr. Bowers is also involved in the Cathedral Health Interdisciplinary Program (CHIPS), which is collaboration with the Medical School, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the School of Social Work. She is also serving as an Investigator and Team Visit Coordinator for Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) Grant awarded to the School of Nursing.
Dr. Bowers’ areas of scholarship and expertise include a focus on gerontology and interprofessional education. Over the past five years Dr. Bowers has served as co-investigator of the Interprofessional Team Visit Project (IPTV) involving students working with older adults residing in the community. Currently Dr. Bowers leads the team in conducting the qualitative analysis for project and has presented at National Conferences on the IPTV project. Dr. Bowers is also involved in the Cathedral Health Interdisciplinary Program (CHIPS), which is collaboration with the Medical School, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the School of Social Work. She is also serving as an Investigator and Team Visit Coordinator for Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) Grant awarded to the School of Nursing.
Elizabeth Edson Chapleski, MSW, PhD, is a Part-Time faculty member and the Coordinator of the Graduate Gerontology Certificate program at Wayne State University. Dr. Chapleski
is a graduate of the joint
doctoral program in social work and sociology at the University of Michigan-Ann
Arbor. A retired Associate Professor of
Research from the Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, she teaches
a web-based Gerontology course part-time for the School of Social Work and
serves as Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. Her research and publications have focused on
minority elders, specifically older American Indians of the Great Lakes
region. She has conducted needs
assessments of Michigan’s Native American population for the Michigan
Department of Public Health (1992) and the Office of Services to the Aging
(1989), as well as a 4-year Long-Term-Care Study funded by the National
Institute on Aging, from 1993-1997. Currently she is working part-time as a
grantwriter and consultant for the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention project
at American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeast Michigan, Minobaadziwin.
Fay Martin Keys DL, MSW, MLS, is an Associate Professor (Clinical), Education Technology Coordinator, and BSW WOW! Coordinator. Dr. Keys also serves on the Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA) Board of Directors. Additionally, Dr. Keys chairs the Long Range Planning Committee for DAAA.
Dr. Keys’ areas of research and expertise include the impact of various approaches to online teaching and learning. Additionally, her research centers on behavioral addictions (i.e., casino gambling), risk taking, and antisocial behaviors of urban elders. She is also a Co-Investigator on a project with Detroit Areas Agency on Aging to explore, Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
Dr. Keys’ areas of research and expertise include the impact of various approaches to online teaching and learning. Additionally, her research centers on behavioral addictions (i.e., casino gambling), risk taking, and antisocial behaviors of urban elders. She is also a Co-Investigator on a project with Detroit Areas Agency on Aging to explore, Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
Anwar Najor-Durack Ph.D. MSW, LMSW, is the Director of Field Education and Assistant Professor (Clinical) at Wayne State University, School of Social Work. She oversees the placement of all BSW and MSW students in the School. In addition to working with students to arrange and oversee field placements, she works closely with agency partners to cultivate strong relationships/affiliations that advance student preparation for professional practice. She is also the current Chair of the Michigan Board of Social Work
Dr. Najor-Durack’s research area includes the use of Evidence-Based Practice in social work education and fieldwork. She works closely with faculty to develop programs to better prepare students for professional practice. Dr. Najor-Durack served as the PI for the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) training grant supported by the Hartford Foundation, Social Work Leadership Institute of the New York Academy of Medicine. The purpose of the HPPAE program was to increase the number of social workers choosing Aging as an area of practice while in the MSW program. Dr. Najor-Durack and her team continued the HPPAE program after the grant funding ended. The program sustainability is due to the agency partners and the School’s commitment to advancing gerontological social work education and practice.
Dr. Najor-Durack’s research area includes the use of Evidence-Based Practice in social work education and fieldwork. She works closely with faculty to develop programs to better prepare students for professional practice. Dr. Najor-Durack served as the PI for the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) training grant supported by the Hartford Foundation, Social Work Leadership Institute of the New York Academy of Medicine. The purpose of the HPPAE program was to increase the number of social workers choosing Aging as an area of practice while in the MSW program. Dr. Najor-Durack and her team continued the HPPAE program after the grant funding ended. The program sustainability is due to the agency partners and the School’s commitment to advancing gerontological social work education and practice.
Tam Perry Ph.D. MA, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University, School of Social Work. She is a member of a local group called Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit, serves as editor of the AGESW e-newsletter and is a co-liaison for a John A. Hartford Alumni Networking Group, Neighborhoods, Housing and Relocation. Dr. Perry is a member of the Advisory Board of the Hartford Center for Excellence at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Perry’s areas of research and expertise include housing transitions of older adults. Her current interests focus on the experiences of relocation for older adults and their family members as well as ways to enhance practitioner competency around housing transitions in older adulthood. Dr. Perry is conducting a research project to analyze relocation experiences of African Americans in and around Detroit. This study is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, 5P30 AG015281, and the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research. She was also recently funded by the John A. Hartford ChangeAGEnts Initiative for a project titled, “Relocation Amidst Revitalization: Recreating Social Worlds for Older Adults,” which is a community-based participatory research project tracking older adults who have been involuntarily relocated in downtown Detroit. She was also recently funded by the Wayne State University Humanities Center for a project titled, “Surviving in Detroit: Men Experiencing Homelessness due to Death of a Parent.” For more about her research, see www.therelocationlab.com.
Dr. Perry’s areas of research and expertise include housing transitions of older adults. Her current interests focus on the experiences of relocation for older adults and their family members as well as ways to enhance practitioner competency around housing transitions in older adulthood. Dr. Perry is conducting a research project to analyze relocation experiences of African Americans in and around Detroit. This study is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, 5P30 AG015281, and the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research. She was also recently funded by the John A. Hartford ChangeAGEnts Initiative for a project titled, “Relocation Amidst Revitalization: Recreating Social Worlds for Older Adults,” which is a community-based participatory research project tracking older adults who have been involuntarily relocated in downtown Detroit. She was also recently funded by the Wayne State University Humanities Center for a project titled, “Surviving in Detroit: Men Experiencing Homelessness due to Death of a Parent.” For more about her research, see www.therelocationlab.com.
Vanessa Rorai, is currently an MSW student at Wayne State University, School of social Work. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Windsor in Developmental Psychology. She has three years of volunteer experience with the Alzheimer’s Society in which she held various roles such as learning series facilitator, support group facilitator, and worked directly with clients.
Vanessa’s first year MSW internship was with the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation at Tome Rivertown Neighborhood as a Service Coordinator. A report on Senior Housing Options in Canada written by Vanessa was recently published on the International Association for Homes and Services for the Aging’s website. She is currently a research assistant in Dr. Tam Perry’s Relocation Lab that focuses on relocation in older adulthood. She is a member of the Promoting Older Adults: From Practice to Policy Learning Community through the School of Social Work at Wayne State. Vanessa will be continuing her MSW in the Innovations in Community, Policy, and Leadership track and plans to pursue a career within gerontology at a Macro level.
Vanessa’s first year MSW internship was with the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation at Tome Rivertown Neighborhood as a Service Coordinator. A report on Senior Housing Options in Canada written by Vanessa was recently published on the International Association for Homes and Services for the Aging’s website. She is currently a research assistant in Dr. Tam Perry’s Relocation Lab that focuses on relocation in older adulthood. She is a member of the Promoting Older Adults: From Practice to Policy Learning Community through the School of Social Work at Wayne State. Vanessa will be continuing her MSW in the Innovations in Community, Policy, and Leadership track and plans to pursue a career within gerontology at a Macro level.
Cheryl Waites, Ed.D, MSW, ACSW is a Professor and Dean at the Wayne State University, School of Social Work. She is a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar and a fellow of the Institute on Aging and Social Work Research. Dr. Waites is a recipient of the Outstanding Dean in Aging award, from the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education, Social Work Leadership Institute of the New York Academy of Medicine. She also serves on the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Mentoring Task Force, the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Center Advisory Board, and is the Co-Chair of the National Association of Social Work Deans and Directors Gerontology Task Force.
Dr. Waites’ areas of research and expertise include healthy aging, health promotion, intergenerational relationships, and culturally appropriate and responsive practice. She has also studied promising practices for enhancing gerontological social work education, training, mentoring and research. She has served as principal investigator, Co-Investigator and Investigator on federal, state and foundation grants and contracts focused on designing, implementing and evaluating interventions, programs, education and trainings to promote healthy aging, intergenerational relationships, culturally responsive practice and workforce development. Her current work is focused on identifying best practices and programs for health promotion and aging in place. She is also Co-Principle Investigator on a project with Detroit Areas Agency on Aging to explore, Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
Dr. Waites’ areas of research and expertise include healthy aging, health promotion, intergenerational relationships, and culturally appropriate and responsive practice. She has also studied promising practices for enhancing gerontological social work education, training, mentoring and research. She has served as principal investigator, Co-Investigator and Investigator on federal, state and foundation grants and contracts focused on designing, implementing and evaluating interventions, programs, education and trainings to promote healthy aging, intergenerational relationships, culturally responsive practice and workforce development. Her current work is focused on identifying best practices and programs for health promotion and aging in place. She is also Co-Principle Investigator on a project with Detroit Areas Agency on Aging to explore, Research on Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
