Danielle A. Waldron

Biography

Dr. Waldron received her Ph.D. in Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She completed a Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, a program federally funded through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Waldron also received a certificate in Disability and Health Policy from Suffolk University as part of the LEND fellowship. Dr. Waldron graduated from Providence College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Policy and Management in 2015. Her experiences as an undergraduate researcher and co-author inspired her career in research and ignited a passion for including her students in her own work as co-authors. Dr. Waldron loves working with students and supports emerging scholars at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), as incoming chair of the Emerging Scholars and Professionals Organization Section. She is also on the Board of the House of Possibilities (HOPe), an organization serving individuals with disabilities, which sits on Stonehill’s campus.

Dr. Waldron’s research interests are at the intersection of aging and intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), such as Down syndrome and autism. She studies health, healthcare, and social experiences of adults and older adults with I/DD. Her current project explores potential disparities in health and health service utilization across race in adults with I/DD at varied stages of implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She is also working on several projects related to aging with autism. Dr. Waldron is committed to bridging the gap between research and policy to improve care for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Education

• Ph.D., Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston
• M.S., Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston
• B.S., Health Policy and Management, Providence College

Research Interests

• Health, healthcare, and social experiences of adults and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD)
• Adults and older adults on the autism spectrum

Accomplishments

• $178,216 Grant Supporting Disability Research Project, The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation, 2023
• Recently published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Creator and host of podcast series: Science and Storytelling in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
• Presentations and Posters at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New England Political Science Association annual meetings

Courses Taught

• Healthcare Policy and Politics
• Introduction to Gerontology
• Statistics for Managers
• Disability