Jennifer Wolff to Lead Lipitz Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Jennifer Wolff, PhD, MHS, a globally recognized expert on aging and caregiving, has been named the third Eugene and Mildred Lipitz Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management and director of the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She assumed these roles in May 2018. Wolff, who joined the Bloomberg School faculty in 2003, succeeds former Lipitz Center directors Karen Davis, PhD, and Chad Boult, MD, MPH, MBA.

Wolff’s research focuses on the care of older persons with complex health needs and disabilities, particularly the role of family caregivers in the interactions of older adults with the medical community. Her studies have documented the impact of caregiver involvement with older adults. She has been involved in the design and evaluation of numerous initiatives aimed at better supporting family caregivers, including applied research to develop practical tools and strategies that may be readily deployed in care delivery. 

Her research has been published in leading journals, including NEJM, JAMA, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Social Science and Medicine, and Health Affairs. She has led projects that have been funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Mental Health, AARP, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, the Milbank Memorial Fund and Atlantic Philanthropies.

“Jennifer’s extraordinary commitment to improving the well-being of aging individuals with complex health care needs and their family caregivers through her scholarship and her strong connections to aging-related initiatives across our University will enable her to hit the ground running in leading the Lipitz Center,” said Colleen Barry, PhD, MPP, Fred and Julie Soper Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. 

Wolff received her PhD and MHS from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She currently serves as associate chair for Strategic Initiatives in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management and is affiliated with three Johns Hopkins centers: the Bloomberg School’s Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research, the University’s Center on Aging and Health and the School of Nursing’s Center for Innovative Care in Aging. Wolff holds a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. She has served as associate director for research at the Lipitz Center since 2016.

The Eugene and Mildred Lipitz Professorship and the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care were established by Roger Lipitz in honor of his family’s legacy of serving the elderly, the chronically ill and underserved populations. “I am thrilled Jennifer was selected to lead the Center,” said Roger Lipitz, a member of the Bloomberg School’s Health Advisory Board and former chair. “It reinforces the tremendous talent within the Center and assures the continuity of the work of the Center moving forward.”  

“Jennifer has dedicated her career to improving the health and well-being of people with complex health care needs,” said Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD, MSc, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Bloomberg School dean. “I look forward to seeing her take the Center in new directions that can deepen its impact in the years to come.”

The Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care focuses on improving the quality of care and quality of life among persons with complex health needs and disabilities through conducting research, disseminating new knowledge and engaging in educational initiatives to prepare the next generation of leaders in the field.

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Media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Robin Scullin at 410-955-7619 or rsculli1@jhu.edu and Josh Aspril at 443-287-5054 or jaspril1@jhu.edu.