CPHAR Fellows Biographical Information

Christopher M. Kelly

Christopher M. Kelly, Ph.D. is a native of Omaha, Nebraska. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Notre Dame and his Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Southern California.  He became a CPHAR fellow in August 2004.

Dr. Kelly’s research focuses on aging policy at the state level. His dissertation examined differences in nursing home regulatory activity across the 50 states. The findings of this research indicate that factors beyond facility quality, such as the political and economic characteristics of each state, affect the performance of state surveying agencies. At the UNC Institute on Aging (IOA), Dr. Kelly expanded the scope of his research and refined its methodology. Guidance from his CPHAR mentoring committee (Drs. Victor Marshall, Bob Konrad, and Jon Oberlander), as well as from Dr. Peggye Dilworth-Anderson was vital at key stages of this process. He has successfully published this research, with Dr. Lloyd Edwards (UNC Department of Biostatistics and a Mentor in the CPHAR Program).

At the IOA, Dr. Kelly undertook several new projects. He conducted an evaluation study, with Dr. Ishan Canty Williams, of North Carolina’s Project C.A.R.E., an Alzheimer’s Disease Demonstration Grant to the States program targeting rural and minority caregivers. With Drs. Bob Konrad and Jennifer Craft Morgan, he presented results from North Carolina’s Better Jobs/Better Care Program at annual meetings of the Gerontological Society of America. With Dr. Paul Wing (SUNY Albany), he examined the relationship between state standards for nursing home administrators and regulatory outcomes. For this research, Dr. Kelly received the 2005 James G. Zimmer New Investigator Award from the American Public Health Association.

Currently, Dr. Kelly is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Gerontology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), where he teaches three courses (Introduction to Gerontology, Programs and Services for the Elderly, and Politics and Aging). In January 2010, he received a Certificate of Recognition for Contribution to Students from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Kelly serves on numerous statewide committees and task forces. His current research explores predictors of quality in long-term care facilities, such as retention of direct care workers, as well as innovative alternatives such as home and community-based respite. With colleagues at UNO, Dr. Kelly is also studying end-of-life decision-making and issues facing aging inmates.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Kelly, C.M., Masters, J.L., & DeViney, S. (2010). End of life planning activities: Are there common predictors? (Manuscript submitted).

Kelly, C.M., Liebig, P.S., & Edwards, L.J. (2008). Nursing home deficiency resolution: Are the states following federal guidelines? Hallym International Journal of Aging, 10 (1): 1-21.

Kelly, C.M., Liebig, P.S., & Edwards, L.J. (2008). Nursing home regulatory activity in the United States: An exploratory study of interstate variations in citation volume and severity. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 20 (4): 398-413.

Kelly, C.M., & Williams, I.C. (2007). Providing dementia-specific services to family caregivers: North Carolina's Project C.A.R.E. program. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 26 (4): 399-412.

Renold, C., Meronk, C., & Kelly, C. (2005). Technology in community-based organizations that serve older people: High tech meets high touch.  Educational Gerontology, 31: 1-11.

Book Chapters

Kelly, C., & Marshall, V.W. (2007). Politics. In J. Birren (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Gerontology (2nd Edition). Oxford, UK: Elsevier, Ltd..

Kelly, C., & Liebig, P. (2003). Nursing Homes. In Lois A. Vitt (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Retirement and Finance. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Presentations

Kelly, C.M., Deichert, J.A., Holley, L.M., & Kosloski, K.D. (2010). Personal and home care aides: Exploring interstate differences in the home care workforce. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Quinn, P.M., & Kelly, C.M. (2009). Factors associated with long-term care planning among older adults. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kelly, C.M., Morgan, J.C., Dill, J.S., & Konrad, T.R. (2008). Who’s in charge here? Identifying informal leaders among the direct care workers in a nursing home. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in National Harbor, Maryland.

Dill, J.S., Morgan, J.C., & Kelly, C.M. (2008). The revolving door: Supervision, job satisfaction, and retention among nursing assistants. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in National Harbor, Maryland.

Kelly, C.M., Alley, D., & Liebig, P.S. (2007). State comparisons in aging programs and services: Methodological challenges. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in San Francisco, California.

Masters, J.L., & Kelly, C.M. (2007). Funeral/memorial service preplanning: Is there a connection to other end of life decisions? Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in San Francisco, California.

Kelly, C.M., & Edwards, L.J. (2006). Nursing home quality: The effects of ownership, staffing, and administration on regulatory outcomes. Poster presentation at the 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Public Health Association in Boston, Massachusetts.

Williams, I.C., & Kelly, C.M. (2006). Expanding capacity of African American family caregivers: Project C.A.R.E. in North Carolina. Poster presentation at the 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Public Health Association in Boston, Massachusetts.

Kelly, C.M., & Svihula, J. (2006). The political economy of aging: Perspectives on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society in Lexington, Kentucky.

Kelly, C.M., & Wing, P. (2005). Nursing home quality: The effect of administrator licensing criteria on regulatory outcomes. Paper presentation at the 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Public Health Association in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Kelly, C.M., Craft Morgan, J., & Konrad, T.R.  (2005). Nursing homes: Understanding the determinants of quality of care as perceived by direct care workers. Paper presentation at the 58th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Orlando, Florida.

Gwyther, L.P., Derence, K., Ghent, M., Erker, L., Pledger, W., Kelly, C.M., & Williams, I.C. (2005). More than respite: Project C.A.R.E. and the well-being of dementia family caregivers. Symposium presentation at the North Carolina Conference on Aging in New Bern, North Carolina.

Kelly, C.M. (2005). Common problems, different standards: Long-term care regulation in North Carolina. Paper presentation at the North Carolina Conference on Aging in New Bern, North Carolina.

Kelly, C.M.  (2005). State nursing home regulation: Factors predicting the volume and severity of deficiency citations. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society in Orlando, Florida.

Kelly, C.M., & Williams, I.C.  (2005). Family caregivers in North Carolina: Implementation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program. Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society in Orlando, Florida.

Kelly, C.M., & Liebig, P.S.  (2004). Factors predicting the effectiveness of state nursing home regulation. Paper presentation at the 57th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Washington, D.C.

Kelly, C.M., & Liebig, P.S.  (2004). Nursing home regulation: Do the states resolve deficiencies in a timely manner? Paper presentation at the Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on the Aging in San Francisco, California.

Kelly, C.M., & Liebig, P.S.  (2003). Nursing home deficiencies by U.S. states: Volume vs. Severity. Poster presentation at the 56th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontology Society of America in San Diego, California.