Current Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Tucker-Seeley-Skalicky-2017

Contact:

Email: tuckerse@usc.edu
Office Location: GER 228

Connect:

Reginald Tucker-Seeley, ScD

Edward L. Schneider Assistant Professor of Gerontology 

Reginald Tucker-Seeley, ScD, has substantive research interests in three areas.  First, he is interested in financial well-being across the cancer continuum from prevention to end-of-life care. His work focuses on the measurement of financial well-being as well as investigating the potentially bidirectional relationship between financial well-being concepts and health outcomes across the chronic disease continuum.  Second, Dr. Tucker-Seeley is interested in the measurement of the neighborhood environment in population health research.  More specifically, his work in this area focuses on the measurement of neighborhood services and the impact of the neighborhood service/retail environment on health and health behavior.  Third, Dr. Tucker-Seeley is interested in measuring and reporting health disparities, and efforts to reduce health disparities and create health equity across levels of government (local, state, federal).

During the 2017-2018 academic year, Dr. Tucker-Seeley spent time in  Washington, DC in the National Academy of Medicine and Robert Wood  Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellowship (see announcement). He is currently on leave of absence.

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Weizhou Tang, MSW, PhD

Weizhou Tang, MSW, PhD, is the Research Associate in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab. Dr. Tang received her PhD degree in Social Work from University of South Carolina in 2019. Prior to PhD study in the U.S., she received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from The University of Hong Kong and undergraduate degree in Sociology in Hangzhou Dianzi University, China. Her research has focused primarily on family caregiving for older adults with cognitive impairment, health outcomes in later life, and vulnerable ethnic minority groups.

During her PhD program, Dr. Tang was selected as a scholar of the South Carolina Health Brain Research Network (SC-HBRN) which aims to advancing public health research about cognitive health and healthy aging. Before joining the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, Dr. Tang was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington. She has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Prevention Science, Interact Journal of Medical Research, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Journal of Community Health. Dr. Tang hopes to do more extensive research on social determinants of health across the life course in the lab.

Contact:

Email: weizhout@usc.edu
Office Location: GER 228

Leora Steinberg, MPH

Leora Steinberg, MPH, is the Research Coordinator in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab. Leora received her MPH degree in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Knowing that addressing aging issues is increasingly critical due to the country’s changing demographics, Leora chose to supplement her degree with Columbia’s Health of an Aging Society certificate. She also received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University. She had majors in Psychology, and Health: Science, Society, and Policy.

Leora is dedicated to addressing health disparities among vulnerable populations. Prior to enrolling in Columbia University’s MPH program, Leora volunteered at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Office of Women’s Health. In 2016 and 2017, she helped implement evidence-based health education programs for underserved communities. In addition, she interned at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Healthy Living, where she conducted qualitative research. She examined interventions that address barriers for accessing weight management resources. She also worked as a policy intern for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Health Access Equity Unit. She used her communication skills to promote the health and well-being of justice-involved populations. As the Research Coordinator in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, she aims to contribute to research on socioeconomic disparities in health and health behavior across the life course.

Contact:

Email: leoraste@usc.edu
Office Location: GER 228

Shelby Brown, MS

 

Shelby Brown is a Research Assistant in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab. Shelby recently graduated with a Master of Science in Gerontology from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. She also received her Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature from USC. She is working on the COVID-19 Policy Scan Project. Within this role, she is locating and reviewing Florida and Georgia COVID-19 related policies that impacts the health and financial well-being of vulnerable populations (older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; and undocumented individuals). Shelby hopes her future career will integrate her interests in medicine and healthy policy research. She desires to assess disparities through research in healthcare access for older adults and underserved populations, including the health care delivery system and health care outcomes.

Contact:

Email: shelbybrown.kwcccc@gmail.com
Office Location: GER 228

Student Researchers

Jessica Haddad

Jessica Haddad is a second-year graduate student at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Medical Gerontology degree. Jessica graduated in December 2020 from USC with a Bachelor of Science degree in Lifespan Health. As a Research Assistant in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab,  Jessica is working on the COVID-19 policy scan project. She is locating and reviewing federal COVID-19 related legislation that impacts the health and financial well-being of vulnerable populations (older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; and undocumented individuals).  Jessica’s focus is to become a dentist specialized in geriatrics to serve the community’s increasing elderly population by addressing risk factors in oral health, such as polypharmacy and multiple chronic diseases. Jessica’s efforts broadened her perspective on how to expand healthcare outreach to the elderly in surrounding communities. On campus, Jessica serves as the Founder and President of the Medical Gerontology Association, Undergraduate Student Representative of the Student Gerontology Association, and the Community Outreach Co-Director of the pre-dental honors society, Delta Delta Sigma.

Mutian Zhang

Mutian Zhang is a PhD student at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. She received a Master of Science in Gerontology degree in 2021. As a Research Assistant in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, Mutian worked on the COVID-19 policy scan project. She reviewed California COVID-19 related legislation that impacts the health and financial well-being of vulnerable populations (older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; and undocumented individuals). Mutian is currently working on the Nursing Home Staffing Level project. She is conducting the literature review on determinants of nursing home staffing levels, determinants of disparities in nursing home staffing levels, and policy efforts to ensure adequate nursing home staffing levels. In addition, Mutian focuses her attention on the research and policies surrounding Asian immigrant caregivers and healthy aging. She intends to identify and bridge the gap between Asian immigrant caregivers, minority older adults, and the US healthcare system.

Lois Albert Angelo

Lois Albert Angelo is a junior studying Human Development and Aging’s Health Science Track at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. He is minoring in occupational science. As a Research Assistant in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, Lois is working on the COVID-19 policy scan and Healthy Aging Data Dashboard projects. He reviewed federal COVID-19 related legislation that impacts the health and financial well-being of vulnerable populations (older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; and undocumented individuals). He is also organizing lab communications. He hopes to focus on policy-related issues adversely affecting older adults in ethnically diverse communities and hopes to pursue medical school after graduation. In addition to research, he currently serves as a reporter for the Leonard Davis Communications office and is a managing editor with the Daily Trojan

Ryan DoyLoo

Ryan DoyLoo is a second-year graduate student at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. He is pursuing a Master of Science in Gerontology. Ryan graduated in May 2021 from USC with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Aging on the Health Science Track. He minored in accounting. As a Research Assistant in the Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, Ryan is working on the COVID-19 policy scan project. He is locating and reviewing federal COVID-19 related legislation that impacts the health and financial well-being of vulnerable populations (older adults; racial/ethnic minorities; and undocumented individuals). He is also working on a scoping review on the measurement of financial hardship among older adults. Outside of The Tucker-Seeley Research Lab, Ryan serves as the President of the Student Gerontology Association on campus and interns at the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA). Aiming to attend law school and serve a career in public interest law, Ryan hopes to explore the various aspects of policy and financial hardship that affects the lives of older adults everyday. Ryan received the USC Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship for the fall 2020 grant period.