Lauren Hunt, PhD
I am PhD-trained nurse practitioner and health services researcher with a research focus on understanding the geriatric palliative care needs and experiences of older adults with dementia across care settings. My research questions are driven by my professional experiences as a clinician working with seriously-ill older adults in acute care, hospice, and outpatient clinics, where I have witnessed firsthand how gaps in current care models negatively impact patients and families.
My vision is to help older adults, particularly those with dementia, to live and die as comfortably and peacefully as possible. To that end, my research has focused on three main areas: 1) End-of-life health service use and quality of care in older adults with dementia; 2) Geriatric palliative care needs in vulnerable older adults across settings; 3) Potentially burdensome interventions and transitions in vulnerable older adults. I also have a methodological interest in using existing datasets to answers questions in these domains.