CPHAR Fellow

Tandrea Hilliard

Tandrea Hilliard is a 2nd year doctoral student in Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, with a concentration in Quality and Access. Throughout her academic and professional career, she has remained passionate about disease prevention and improving the health status of disadvantaged communities throughout North Carolina. As a graduate student at UNC, Tandrea is wholeheartedly invested in maintaining that focus by conducting research addressing the growing epidemic of chronic kidney disease among older minority adults.

Ms. Hilliard’s current work at the UNC Institute on Aging’s Center for Aging and Diversity focuses on examining and improving the experiences of caregivers of older adults with dementia, as well as reducing health disparities associated with cognitive decline in minority elders. These projects have afforded her the opportunity to advance her understanding of health disparities in the minority adult population.

The concepts and skills acquired have played a vital role in the on-going development of her dissertation proposal, which seeks to expand these ideals to the renal older minority adult population. Tandrea’s dissertation will focus on examining transitions of care for older renal disease patients, as well as the effect of those transitions on their caregivers. One aim of her project is to pursue end-of-life care planning and health care practices among older minority adults with end-stage renal disease. She anticipates using a mixed-methods approach to her dissertation research.

Publications

Several publications are in progress and are expected to be submitted in the Spring 2011 semester.