Experts: Social Networks

Katy (Qiuchang) Cao is an assistant professor at the College of Social Work interested in Gerontology. Katy’s scholarship has focused on strengthening social inclusion related to age, abilities, country of origin, race and ethnicity via community-engaged research and secondary data analysis. She is particularly interested in the social mechanism that contributes to health among various groups of older adults. Her recent work examines how childhood and midlife experiences influence cognitive health in later life using data from the Health and Retirement Study and the Occupation Information Network. Her research highlights the importance of the community environment and life course experiences in the physical, mental, and cognitive health of older adults. Katy’s work involves the use of qualitative, quantitative, and network analyses.