Elizabeth Dugan

Associate Professor, Gerontology; Director, Undergraduate Gerontology Programs; Fellow
Gerontology Institute, The University of Massachusetts Boston

Research and Background

Elizabeth Dugan, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Gerontology in the McCormack Graduate School for Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Prior to joining UMass Boston, Elizabeth Dugan taught public health sciences at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, geriatric medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and was a senior research scientist at the New England Research Institutes. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section. Dugan pursues two lines of research that have resulted in a book and more than 55 peer-reviewed publications. First, is research related to healthy aging. This research is developing and reporting indicators of healthy aging and investigating the role of community factors that contribute to health outcomes (see www.healthyagingdatareports.org). Second, is research on older driver safety and state policies related to older driver issues. She has been awarded more than $4 million dollars in extramural research support from a variety of funding sources, including: the Tufts Health Plan Foundation, the National Institute on Aging, the National Eye Institute, The Borchard Foundation Center for Law and Aging, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Retirement Research Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her scholarship, including her book, The Driving Dilemma: The Complete Resource Guide for Older Drivers and Their Families, generates regular media coverage (e.g., ABC's Good Morning America, CBS Evening News, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, the Boston Globe and other media outlets). Dr. Dugan has consulted on policy at the local, state and federal levels. Locally, she serves on the Newton MA Council on Aging. She has provided expert testimony and written briefs for state legislators across the nation. In 2017 was appointed to the Governor’s Council to Address Aging Issues in Massachusetts. Federally, she participated in a White House Office of Public Engagement roundtable about older driver safety with National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator (2011) and participated in the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Dugan is a frequent speaker at community events, senior centers, and staff training opportunities.