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| Primary Activity Coordinators: |
Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness |
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| Discipline(s): |
Public Health |
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| AUCD Council Membership: |
Multicultural Council |
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| Research: | Health outcomes in older adults with IDD is being assessed by the Aging Research group at the Program in Aging and Developmental Disabilities (PADD). De-identified data is being collected using the Rochester Health Status Survey (RHSS-IV) to help characterize the trends in medical conditions and health services utilization in adults with IDD. The team has plans to continue to collect health status information and its subsequent application to family caregivers, service providers, and health professionals.
An essential element to providing care to individuals with I/DD is communication with key members of each person?s support team. Thus, Care Coordination within a medical home is another major research interest. We are pursuing a webportal that would maintain current medical information and that can be accessed by all members of a person?s team. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education: | After working in direct care settings with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), I returned to the University of Rochester to pursue a graduate education in Public Health. This background would allow me to enter the research field with the goal of making a substantial impact on the IDD field and quality of services. Shortly after completion of my Master in Public Health I began working for Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities as a health project coordinator for the Program in Aging and Developmental Disabilities (PADD). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Service: | My career in the IDD field began in 1991. As a volunteer for Discovery Day Care, an integrated day care run through the Al Sigl Center, I loved playing with the children with Down syndrome. I volunteered there throughout my junior and senior years of college, in addition to volunteering for Special Olympics, UCP, and a host of other agencies. In my senior year I had an internship at Rochester Rehabilitation Center where I was a job coach for individuals who had experienced a traumatic brain injury and needed assistance re-entering the workforce. Upon graduation from the University of Rochester, I was hired by the Arc of Monroe County to assist individuals with IDD living in community residences in learning their activities of daily living. At the Learning Disabilities Association, I was able to take a larger role in providing care to this historically underserved population; from training new staff, finding funding for home improvements, and opening two new homes, yet I still wanted to do more. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vita/Bio
Laura M. Robinson, MPH
Associate
Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities
University of Rochester Medical Center
601 Elmwood Ave. Box 671
Rochester, NY 14642
Phone: 585-275-6604
Fax: 585-275-3366
Email: [email protected]
With over twenty years experience in the field of developmental disabilities, Laura M. Robinson, MPH, joined the Program in Aging and Developmental Disabilities (PADD) team at Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) in 2004. Laura's background includes direct care, staff training, program management, and program development. Having completed her Master in Public Health from the University Of Rochester School Of Medicine And Dentistry, Laura's focus is in research with special interests in the health status of adults with developmental disabilities and cultural diversity.
Discipline(s):
Public Health
Professional Areas of Interest and Expertise:
Health Outcomes, Program Evaluation, Caregiving, Staff Training
Research
Health Outcomes in Adults with Developmental Disabilities; Care Coordination
Education
Public Health
Service
Aging and Developmental Disabilities
Vita/Bio
Education/Training
INSTITUTION DEGREE YEAR(s) FIELD OF STUDY
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY B.A. 1992 Health & Society
University of Rochester
School of Medicine and Dentistry
Rochester, NY M.P.H. 2004 Public Health
Positions and Employment
- 9/91-5/92: Community Integration Specialist, Rochester Rehabilitation Center, Rochester, NY
- 2/93-9/96: Residential Habilitation Counselor, Arc of Monroe County, Rochester, NY
- 8/95-8/2001: Residential Manager, LDA Life & Learning Services, Rochester, NY
- 9/01-12/05: Director, Developmental Disabilities Education Network, Rochester, NY
- 11/04-Present: Senior Health Project Coordinator, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
- 2002-Present: Trainer, National Coalition Building Institute, Rochester Chapter.
- 2004-Present: Investigator, Health Outcomes in Older Adults with Developmental Disabilities (National Center for Research Resources, NIH Grant 5MO1 RR00044)
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications (in chronological order)
Davidson PW, Henderson CM, Janicki MP, Robinson LM, Bishop KM, Wells A, Garroway J, Wexler O. (2008). Ascertaining health-related information on adults with intellectual disabilities: Development and field testing of the Rochester Health Status Survey. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 5(1), 12-23. Henderson CM, Robinson LM, Davidson PW, Haveman M, Janicki MP, and Albertini G. (2008). Overweight status, obesity and risk factors for coronary heart disease in adults with intellectual disability. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 5(3), 174-177. Henderson CM, Acquilano JP, Meccarello JC, Davidson PW, Robinson LM, Janicki MP. (2009). Health status and activities of daily living and walking in older people with intellectual disabilities Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6(4), 282-286. Henderson CM, Rosasco M, Robinson LM, Meccarello J, Janicki MP, Turk M, Davidson PW. (2009) Functional Impairment Severity as Determinant of Health Status among Older Persons with Intellectual Disability and Cerebral Palsy. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(11), 887-897. Robinson LM, Davidson PW, Henderson CM, Janicki MP, Merrick J, Morad M, Wang L, Hsieh K, Bishop KM, Wexler O. (2010) Health trends from an international sample of older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. International Journal of Disability and Human Development, 9(4), 329-338. Robinson, LM, Dauenhauer, J, Bishop, KM, Baxter, J. (2011) Growing Health Disparities For Persons Who Are Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: The Social Work Lynchpin. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, in press.
