Kerstin Gerst Emerson

Institute of Gerontology, Health Policy & Management,

Clinical Associate Professor
Director, Online Learning at CPH

Institute of Gerontology, Health Policy & Management,

Dr. Emerson has two main research areas, both centering on older adults and using large secondary datasets. She focuses on Hispanic aging, specifically the influence of individual and neighborhood characteristics on physical and mental health outcomes among older Mexican Americans. More recently, Dr. Emerson’s research investigates the impact of loneliness among older adults, including healthcare utilization.

Education

PhD, Gerontology, University of Massachusetts, 2008
MS, Gerontology, University of Massachusetts, 2006
MGS, Gerontology, Miami University, 2002
BA, Economics and Psychology, University of Michigan

Areas of Expertise

Research: Loneliness and older adults, Hispanic health and aging, health disparities among older adults
Teaching: Online teaching, Gerontology education in higher education

Honors, Awards, and Achievements

Awarded fellow status in the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), 2020
Faculty Excellence in Service Award, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 2020
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholar, University of Georgia, 2019-2020
Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 2018
Center for Teaching and Learning Online Learning Fellow, University of Georgia, 2016, 2017
Lilly Teaching Fellow, University of Georgia, 2012-2014
Career Center Recognition for supporting students’ career development and success, University of Georgia

Affiliations

Gerontological Society of America
Sigma Phi Omega (International Honor Society in Gerontology)

Course Instruction

Aspects of Aging (undergraduate)
Foundations of Aging (graduate)
End of Life and Older Adults (graduate)

Research Interests

Dr. Emerson is a gerontologist who uses large secondary data analyses to explore aging issues in the United States. Her research interests include loneliness among older adults, Hispanic aging, as well as the influence of neighborhood characteristics on physical and mental health outcomes.

Selected Publications

Zhang, D., Rajbhandari-Thapa, J., Panda, D., Chen, Z., Shi, L., Li, Y., Shen, Y., Ghimire, R. & Emerson, K. G. (2021). Linguistic isolation and mortality in older Mexican Americans: Findings from the Hispanic Established Populations Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Health Equity, 5.1, 375-381. doi: 10.1089/heq.2020.0139

Bower, K. & Emerson, K.G. (2021). Exploring contextual factors associated with suicide among older male farmers: Results from the CDC NVDRS dataset. In press at Clinical Gerontologist, doi: 10.1080/ 07317115.2021.1893885

Emerson, K.G. (2020). Coping with being cooped up: Social distancing during COVID-19 among 60+ in the United States. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health, 44, e81. doi: 10.26633/RPSP.2020

Gerst-Emerson, K. & Jayawardhana, J. (2016). Risk factors for loneliness among elders. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(4), 886-887, doi: 10.1111/jgs.14053\\

Gerst-Emerson, K., Wong, R., Michaels-Obregon, A. & Palloni, A. (2015). Cross-national differences in disability among elders: Transitions in disability in Mexico and the United States. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Social Sciences,70(5), 759-768

Gerst-Emerson, K. & Jayawardhana, J. (2015). Loneliness as a public health issue: The impact of loneliness on healthcare utilization among older adults. American Journal of Public Health, 1013-1019