Our Team
Leadership Core
Strategic Leadership
The leadership core provides strategic direction and vision for the Center by guiding the work of the Executive Committee and coordinating collaboration with the other two Public Health Centers of Excellence.
Joseph Gaugler, PhD
University Of Minnesota
Elma Johnson
University Of Minnesota
Ashley Millenbah
University Of Minnesota
Robbin Frazier
University Of Minnesota
Strategic Advisory Core
Driving Impact in Public Health
The Strategic Advisory Core (formerly the Executive Committee) serves as a key advisory body that guides the Center’s strategic direction and informs decision-making across policy, program development, community services, and aging initiatives.
Working alongside Center leadership and staff, the Core identifies emerging trends, shapes content and dissemination priorities, and helps coordinate activities with national dementia caregiving initiatives.
Lauren Parker, PhD
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN
University of Texas
Ishan C. Williams, PhD, FGSA
University Of Virginia, School Of Nursing
Joseph Gaugler, PhD
University Of Minnesota
Dr. Joseph Gaugler directs the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving, and is a professor and head of the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. His research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions.
As an applied gerontologist, Dr. Gaugler’s areas of interest include Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, long-term care, family caregiving and implementation science.
Matthew Baumgart
Alzheimer’s Association
Mr. Matthew Baumgart is Vice President of Health Policy for the Alzheimer’s Association, and he directs the Association’s global public policy efforts in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, the World Dementia Council, and the World Health Organization.
Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD
Education Development Center
Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, is a Distinguished Medical Scholar at Education Development Center, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Associate Professor of Medical Science at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. He is a health services investigator and geriatric psychiatrist, providing outpatient and inpatient services at Butler Hospital in Providence, RI.
Dr. Lubow leads the National Dementia Care Collaborative, a project supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation to accelerate health system adoption of evidence-based comprehensive care for dementia.
Elma Johnson, MPH
University of Minnesota
Elma Johnson, MPH manages PHCOE-DC operations and co-leads the strategic and programmatic planning for the Center. Ms. Johnson has expertise in healthcare management, quality improvement and working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Ms. Johnson supervised the Interpreter Services Department and served as Innovations Project Manager and Patient Experience Consultant at Hennepin Healthcare.
Lauren Parker, PhD
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health
Dr. Lauren J. Parker is an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research examines how home-and-community based supports can be used to address the cultural needs of African American and Hispanic caregivers for people with dementia.
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN
University of Texas
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN is a Professor and the Karen and Ronald Hermann Distinguished Chair in Caregiver Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing. She has devoted her career as a nurse leader to reducing health disparities for underserved populations through innovative, culturally relevant programs for the African American community.
Dr. Epps works closely with an interdisciplinary team to promote quality of life for African Americans living with dementia and their family caregivers through self-care and meaningful activities. She is also the founder of Alter, the only nurse-led dementia-friendly initiative to support African American congregations.
Robbin Frazier
University of Minnesota
Robbin Frazier is the Community Dissemination Expert at PHCOE-DC. She has extensive experience in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and intervention dissemination. Ms. Frazier ensures that evidence-based programs reach the communities that need them most, making them accessible and relevant.
Ishan C. Williams, PhD, FGSA
University Of Virginia, School Of Nursing
Ishan C. Williams, PhD, FGSA is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, School of Nursing. Her research focuses on quality of life among older adults with dementia and their family caregivers, chronic disease management for older adults with Type 2 diabetes, and culturally appropriate community-based interventions among African American/Black adults.
Ishan research further concentrates on recruitment science and using an equity approach to understanding the health care needs of older adults and their family caregivers within social, cultural, and geographical contexts.
Ashley Millenbah, MPH
University Of Minnesota
Ashley Millenbah, MPH, coordinates the PHCOE-DC. As Project Coordinator, she supports the Center's operations, national partnerships, educational initiatives, and dissemination efforts to advance public health approaches to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) caregiving.
Ashley has worked in the field of aging since 2017 and has a strong interest in promoting healthy aging and brain health, and supporting communities as they prepare for an aging population. Before joining the University of Minnesota, she managed a health and wellness facility serving older adults and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), where she developed programs focused on wellness, engagement, and quality of life.