Background
Dr. Quincy Samus, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is an applied gerontologist, trained in epidemiology and health services research. Her research focuses on the care and delivery of health services to older adults and families affected by mental health conditions, primarily dementia, living in community and residential care settings. She directs the Translational Aging Services Core (TASC), whose mission it is to support the conceptualization, evaluation and implementation of innovative evidence-based practices that address the diverse needs of older adults with mental health conditions, their families, and caregivers. She has served as the lead field investigator or Principal Investigator on several large projects including the Maryland Assisted Living Study (MDAL), an epidemiological study of mental health disorders in assisted living (AL); The Maximizing Independence at Home Trial (MIND at Home), a randomized trial to test the efficacy of a novel community-based dementia care coordination model; and the Quality of Mental Health Care in assisted living study. The overarching goal of her work is to improve care quality and outcomes through translation of evidence-based practices to real world settings.