Center for Excellence in Assisted Living CEAL@UNC

Advancing the well-being of the people who live and work in assisted living through research, practice, and policy.

CEAL@UNC Research Award

The CEAL@UNC Research Award recognizes innovative and rigorous research published in the past calendar year that demonstrates promise to inform practice and/or policy to advance the well-being of those who live and work in assisted living. Each year, CEAL@UNC staff identify eligible papers and select 10 finalists based on innovation, methodological rigor, and alignment with the CEAL@UNC mission. The final recipient is chosen by members of the CEAL@UNC Advisory Board and Research Core.

See our Academic Publications section to learn more about these studies and other assisted living research.

2025 CEAL@UNC Research Award Winner

Changes in Nursing Staff Levels and Injury-Related Emergency Department Visits among Assisted Living Residents with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Cassandra L. Hua, PhD, Ian Nelson, MGS, Portia Y. Cornell, PhD, Elizabeth M. White, PhD, and Kali S. Thomas, PhD

2025 CEAL@UNC Research Award Finalists

A Collaborative Approach to Improving Care Outcomes for Residents in Assisted Living

Jennifer Craft Morgan PhD, Kendra J. Jason PhD, Candace L. Kemp, PhD, and Kallol Kumar Bhattacharyya, MBBS, MA, PhD

Assisted Living Residents with Dementia: Disparities in Mental Health Services Pre and During COVID-19

Helena Temkin-Greener, PhD, Yechu Hua, PhD, and Shubing Cai, PhD

Do End-of-Life Outcomes Differ by Assisted Living Memory-Care Designation?

Xiao (Joyce) Wang, PhD, Portia Y. Cornell, PhD, Emmanuelle Belanger, PhD, and Kali S. Thomas, PhD

Evacuation and Health Care Outcomes Among Assisted Living Residents After Hurricane Irene

Cassandra Hua, PhD, Sweta Patel, BDS, MPH, Kali S. Thomas, PhD, Dylan J. Jester, PhD, Cyrus M. Kosar, PhD, Lindsay J. Peterson, PhD, Debra Dobbs, PhD, Ross Andel, PhD, and David M. Dosa MD, PhD

Family Involvement among Oregon Adult Foster Home Residents, 2018-2023

Ozcan Tunalilar, PhD

Hospice Providers Serving Assisted Living Residents: Association of Higher Volume with Lower Quality

Wenhan Guo, PhD, Helena Temkin-Greener, PhD, and Brian E. McGarry, PhD

Prevalence and Correlates of Antipsychotic Medication Use in Oregon Assisted Living

Sarah Dys, PhD, Ozcan Tunalilar, PhD, and Paula Carder, PhD

The Prevalence and Benefits of Self-Compassion Among Professional Caregivers

Christine R. Lathren, MD, Lea Efird-Green, MSW, MPA, David Reed, PhD, Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, Krista M. Perreira, PhD, Karen Bluth, PhD, and Philip D. Sloane, MD, MPH

Transitions to Nursing Homes among Residents of Assisted Living and Community-Dwelling Home Care Recipients

Derek R. Manis, PhD, David Kirkwood, MSc, Stacey Fisher, PhD, Wenshan Li, PhD, Colleen Webber, PhD, Peter Tanuseputro, MD, Nathan M. Stall, MD, PhD, Jennifer A. Watt, MD, PhD, Amy T. Hsu, PhD, Rachel D. Savage, PhD, Susan E. Bronskill, PhD, and Andrew P. Costa, PhD