Faculty Bio
Occupational Therapy for Family, Professional, and Paraprofessional Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia
Mary A. Corcoran, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Dr. Mary A. Corcoran is research professor, George Washington University, Washington, DC. She is also the editor of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Corcoran has a BS degree in occupational therapy from Indiana University in Indianapolis. She received an MA in social gerontology and a PhD in health planning for the elderly from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Corcoran has published and presented widely on the topics of environmental modifications, management of Alzheimer's disease, family caregiving, the role of health practitioners in caregiving health, and collaboration. She has been involved in research projects for 12 years, serving as principal or coprincipal investigator on projects funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and private foundations.
Dr. Corcoran was the principal investigator on two NIA-funded studies: one to describe patterns of dementia management in the home and the second to test an intervention to improve dementia care for nursing home residents. Dr. Corcoran is also a coprincipal investigator on two large-scale studies to test the effectiveness of an environmental intervention for cognitively and physically frail elderly people. Her experience includes use of qualitative and quantitative, as well as mixed, methodologies.