Mia Oberlink, M.A., joined the Center for Home Care Policy and Research in June 1999 and is the Project Director of the AdvantAge Initiative.

Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Oberlink spent 13 years writing about biomedical and social issues in aging, first at the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and, more recently, at the International Longevity Center, where she was Director of Communications.

Ms. Oberlink received both an undergraduate and graduate degree in French Literature from New York University. She also obtained a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from New York University.

Esther Zuckerman, M.S.W., Project Manager, joined the Center for Home Care Policy and Research in May 2001. She is currently working as the site and communications coordinator for the AdvantAge Initiative.

Most recently, she was the director of outreach and client relations at the Medicare Rights Center, a national not-for-profit Medicare education and advocacy organization. In this position she designed and implemented all outreach efforts focused on professionals serving Medicare populations. Previous to that position she spent seven years as assistant director for the retired members program for Teamsters Local 237 in New York. Her work included program development, educational trainings and the administration of retiree counseling and assistance programs. She has also worked for Selfhelp Community Services in NYC as an eldercare consultant and trainer on long term care related issues.

Ms. Zuckerman has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work.

Elisabeth Simantov, Ph.D., Ph.D., Research Analyst, joined the Center for Home Care Policy and Research in May of 2001. She works primarily on the AdvantAge Initiative, participating in survey design, developing statistical models, performing data analyses, and producing reports and publications based on survey results. In addition, she works closely with other research staff to conceptualize, design, and analyze various research projects.

Dr. Simantov holds a Ph.D. in Economics, with a concentration in Health Economics, from the City University of New York Graduate School. Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Simantov was a Senior Research Analyst at the Commonwealth Fund, where she was responsible for analyzing survey data and publishing reports and journal articles for research and policy audiences. Her research there focused on adolescent health and health insurance issues. Before that Dr. Simantov was an adjunct faculty member at the department of Economics at Hunter College.

Michal Gursen, Research Analyst, joined the Center for Home Care Policy and Research in May 2000. At the Center, Ms. Gursen participates in design and analysis of the AdvantAge Initiative survey, and produces reports based on survey results.

Before coming to the Center, Ms. Gursen worked at the New York State Psychiatric Institute where she studied psychoeducational interventions for people with mental illness. Prior to that, Ms. Gursen worked at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she researched psychosocial pathways leading to drug use. She received her M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management with a concentration in Effectiveness and Outcomes Research, and M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University.

Alexis Stern joined the Center for Home Care Policy and Research in August 1999. She is the Administrative Coordinator for the AdvantAge Initiative and several other projects.

Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Stern worked for various non-profit organizations, including Food & Hunger Hotline and, most recently, the International Longevity Center, an affiliate of The Mount Sinai Medical Center. She also worked for several years as an elementary school science teacher.