ASU Doctoral Student Works to Improve Health Care for the Aging

Healthcare quality, access, and cost are the central focus of research for doctoral student Brenda Ohta. "I am especially interested in medical sociology as it relates to issues of health and illness," says Brenda, "including individual, social and economic variables, and the impact of our aging population on healthcare policy and delivery. Much of my research agenda has evolved from my direct experience as a healthcare professional."

Brenda has a Masters of Science in Gerontology and a Masters of Social Work, both obtained at the University of Southern California. She is also a licensed clinical social worker in Arizona and is currently the Director of Case Management, Social Work, and Ethics for Sun Health Corporation, a multi-hospital system in the northwest valley, which includes Sun Health Boswell and Sun Health Del E. Webb Hospitals. She is simultaneously pursuing her Ph.D. in Sociology at ASU.

"My background is unusual for a sociologist in that I have spent many years in direct practice and administration in hospitals and health care settings," says Brenda. "With the knowledge and research experience that I am gaining through the Ph.D. program at ASU, I want to help bridge the gap between academic research and applied practice in healthcare. Also, the combination of educational background and applied experience has taught me the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, which is something I plan to incorporate into future research."


Research that has been motivated by her work experience has included:

• Variation in care at the end of life that might result from traditional fee-for-service Medicare versus managed care plans.
• The impact of life transitions on the risk of suicide in older adults
• How healthcare decision-making at the end of life is affected by the patient-family-healthcare team dynamic, as well as by society, culture and the political economy of health and aging.

For example, being responsible for the Ethics Service in the hospitals she serves, she says, "has provided me with direct experience in how the difficult decisions in healthcare are played out - what promotes a positive resolution to an extremely emotional, difficult situation versus what causes contention." Multiple conflicts can occur in end-of-life decisions, says Brenda, especially when the patient is unable to respond or it is unclear as to what their wishes might be, or when family members disagree with each other or with medical staff.

One-quarter of healthcare expenditures in the U.S. are spent on Medicare and a bit more than one-quarter of Medicare expenditures go to care at the end of life, says Brenda, and it is apparent that our nation is facing a crisis in terms of healthcare access, cost and quality. "My hope for my research is to make a meaningful contribution toward improving our system of healthcare delivery, particularly in the older adult population."

When Brenda decided to return to a university to get her doctorate, "the one program that truly suited my interests was the Medical Sociology program at ASU," she says. Despite the demands and challenges of juggling family, work and school, Brenda declares that graduate work has broadened her base of knowledge, helped her develop the skills and rigor required for academic research, and provided her with excellent mentors among the Sociology faculty. She also joined the PFF (Preparing Future Faculty) program and says it has helped prepare her for the next step in her career after obtaining her Ph.D.

"I am not the 'typical' doctoral student and work demands do limit the amount of time I can spend on campus," she says, "but everyone in the department - grad students and faculty alike - has been absolutely wonderful and that has made all the difference in being able to make it through."