ASA - American Society on Aging

2007 Awards Programs
Recognizing Excellence in the Field of Aging

Award Winners

2007 ASA GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH AWARDS

ASA gratefully acknowledges the support of the AARP Andrus Foundation for the Graduate Student Research Award. The ASA Graduate Student Research Award is presented to graduate students for exceptional research relevant to aging and applicable to practice.

Kyaien O. Conner, MSW, LSW

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Kyaien O. Conner is a licensed social worker and a third year doctoral candidate in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Social Work. She is also finishing a Masters in Public Health with a certificate in minority health and health disparities. Kyaien is a CSWE Minority Research Fellow and a John A. Hartford Dissertation Fellow. Kyaien also received a pre-dissertation award from the Hartford Foundation for her work in Gerontology. Kyaien’s research is focused on the impact of racism, ageism and oppression on the physical health and mental health of African American older adults. Kyaien also investigates the factors that influence disparities in mental health service utilization and treatment outcomes for African American older adults, and other aging minority populations She has a specific interest in investigating the impact of stigma on the treatment seeking attitudes and behaviors of aging African American. Kyaien is an adjunct faculty member in the BSW and MSW program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and teaches courses such as Introduction To Social Work and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Kyaien works as an older adult mental health advocate at the Mental Health Association of Allegheny County. Kyaien is also a part-time therapist at PERSOMA PC, a local clinical therapy practice in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a trained cognitive behavioral therapist and specializes in working with people of color and in treating mood disorders in older adults.

Kyaien receives this award for the study entitled “You’re Nothing But A Junkie”: Multiple Experiences of Stigma in an Aging Methadone Maintenance population. In an attempt to explore the effect of experiencing multiple stigmas on treatment seeking attitudes, this study examined the existence and experiences of stigma in a sample of older adult methadone maintenance clients. Older adult methadone clients are underrepresented in the stigma and substance abuse literature, yet possess several conditions that are socially stigmatized in society. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed revealing eight distinct stigmas experienced by this sample. Of the 23 respondents who reported stigma, all experienced two or more distinct stigmas simultaneously, with nearly half of the respondents experiencing three or more. Additionally, respondents who reported more stigmas were more likely to identify stigma as a barrier to substance abuse and mental health treatment. These findings reinforce the importance of recognizing the ways in which the burden of multiple stigmas impacts our most vulnerable populations. Recognizing the impact of multiple stigmas is a first step towards eliminating stigma as a significant barrier to treatment, and towards improving treatment outcomes for older adult opiate addicts.

Honorable Mention

Huai-Che Shih, MS

Rochester, New York

Huai-Che Shih is a PhD candidate in Health Services Research and Policy at the University of Rochester. He received his MS in Health Care Organization Administration and BS in Public Health at the National Taiwan University.

His research interests include long-term care, patient case-mix, and Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible beneficiaries.

He is currently working on his dissertation, which utilizes a transition probability model and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hierarchical Condition Categories (CMS-HCC) model to evaluate changes in the utilization and patient case-mix of home health care resulting from the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Huai-Che Shih receives this award for his study Medicare Home Health Care Patient Case-Mix Before and After the Balanced Budget Act: Effect on Dual Eligible Beneficiaries which focuses on The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 which changed the payment system for Medicare home health care (HHC) from cost-based to prospective reimbursement. In this paper, he examined the impact of the BBA on the case-mix of Medicare HHC recipients and tested whether the changes in patient case-mix were different for beneficiaries who were eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare/Medicaid dual beneficiaries are poorer, sicker, and cost Medicare 60% more per person than non-dual enrollees.