{"id":17,"date":"2024-11-20T23:31:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gero.usc.edu\/labs\/equallab\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2026-05-26T18:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:41:15","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gero.usc.edu\/labs\/kellerlab\/people\/","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1732147474643{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

About Us<\/h2>\n

At the Implementation Science in Aging Research Lab, our mission is to advance and improve the health and well-being of older adults through cutting-edge research and innovative practices. Our work is centered around several key focus areas: enhancing patient-physician communication and promoting shared decision-making, and studying the best methods to integrate evidence-based healthcare practices into real-world settings. By focusing on these critical aspects of healthcare, we aim to create a more effective healthcare system for aging populations. Our team works closely with healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organizations to ensure our research is relevant and impactful.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Principal Investigator<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”32″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Michelle S. Keller, PhD<\/h3>\n

Assistant Professor of Gerontology;<\/strong>
\nLeonard and Sophie Davis Early Career Endowed Chair in Minority Aging at University of Southern California<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Keller\u2019s research is focused on using implementation science to improve outcomes for older adults. Recent projects have included developing a toolkit aimed at helping patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) with making decisions about dialysis and dialysis access, evaluating the Geriatric Fracture Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, designing and implementing interventions to deprescribe benzodiazepines in the hospital and outpatient settings, and examining barriers to the use of interpreters in the hospital.<\/p>\n

Dr. Keller\u2019s research has been published in peer-reviewed publications including Journal of General Internal Medicine, JAMA Surgery, the Journal of Hospital Medicine, Pain Medicine, npj Digital Medicine, Psychiatric Services, and the American Journal of Managed Care. Prior to working in healthcare, Dr. Keller worked as a journalist for publications such as the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1732147481932{padding-top: 15px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Graduate Students<\/h2>\n

Predoctoral Students<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”74″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Junxian Liu, MS<\/h3>\n

Junxian Liu received his Master\u2019s degree in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor\u2019s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Connecticut. His research interests include survival analysis and longitudinal data analysis.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”37″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Dinithi Perera, LLM<\/h3>\n

Dinithi Perera is a doctoral student at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Having completed her Bachelor and Master\u2019s in law in the UK and US, she\u2019s worked in clinical trials management for dementia prevention research for several years in Europe, in both academic and non-profit research institutions. Her research interests focus on diversity of participants in dementia research and its impact on advances in new treatments, and healthcare policies and strategies.
\n<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1732147490872{padding-top: 15px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Staff<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”35″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Astrid Cook<\/h3>\n

Lab Assistant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Astrid joined the Trojan family in 2018, initially serving as an administrative assistant in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology\u2019s Business Services office. With a strong background in design, administrative support, and project management, Astrid quickly demonstrated her versatility and dedication. Her exceptional performance led to a promotion to Facilities Coordinator, where she played a pivotal role in several renovation projects and collaborated with various vendors on design initiatives. In April 2024, Astrid transitioned to her current role as Administrative Assistant II, supporting Dr. Ailshire and Dr. Keller, while continuing her support in project management with the Business Office. She remains enthusiastic about continuing her journey at USC and growing with her new teams.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row disable_element=”yes”][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”47″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Chloe Leder, BS<\/h3>\n

Community Engagement Coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chloe is a recent UCLA graduate with a BS in Human Biology and Society. She has previously worked on pediatric research projects regarding community health, social determinants, and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as community engagement with UCLA\u2019s Mobile Clinic Project as a caseworker and medical companion for our unhoused neighbors in Los Angeles. Chloe is currently serving as the Community Engagement Coordinator in the Implementation Science in Aging Research Lab, working on integrating and gathering important opinions and experiences from various communities to improve the reach and equity of health services and clinical research.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”79″ img_size=”300X300″ css=””][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Aani Nagaiah<\/h3>\n

Student Worker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aani Nagaiah is an undergraduate student at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, majoring in Human Development and Aging with a minor in News Media and Society at the Annenberg School of Journalism. She is the co-founder of Our Ode To You<\/a>, a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings creative arts and music programming into memory care communities through teen volunteers.<\/p>\n

Her interests center on dementia care, health equity, and community-engaged research, particularly in underresourced and minoritized aging populations. Aani is especially interested in how patient-centered interventions, communication, and culturally responsive approaches can improve dementia identification, care experiences, and quality of life for older adults and their families.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1732147474643{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] About Us At the Implementation Science in Aging Research Lab, our mission is to advance and improve the health and well-being of older adults through cutting-edge research and innovative practices. Our work is centered around several key focus areas: enhancing patient-physician communication and promoting shared decision-making, and studying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPeople - The Keller Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gero.usc.edu\/labs\/kellerlab\/people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"People - The Keller Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1732147474643{padding-top: 15px !important;padding-bottom: 15px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] About Us At the Implementation Science in Aging Research Lab, our mission is to advance and improve the health and well-being of older adults through cutting-edge research and innovative practices. 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