Barbara J. Berkman, DSW, is the Helen Rehr/Ruth Fizdale Professor of Health and Mental Health at Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) and Adjunct Professor, Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr. Berkman has directed 23 federally and foundation supported research projects focusing on issues in geriatric care, and is currently Director of the John A. Hartford Foundation's Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program. She is a former President of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR) and is