Clinical Practice with Older Adults Instructors

Christina Bernhardy, AM, LCSW is a Social Worker at the University of Chicago Outpatient Senior Health Center where she has been practicing since 2017. In her current role, she provides counseling to patients and families, education about community resources and connection to resources as needed, assists with advance care planning, and supports patients and families to achieve and honor their goals and wishes. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice (Class of 2013).

Jacqueline Boyd is the founder and owner of The Care Plan, the country's first LGBTQ+ centered care management company. The Care Plan’s innovative model of client directed care provides advocacy, care navigation and advance planning for successful aging experiences. Jacqueline is also a co-founder of Project Fierce Chicago, and One Roof Chicago. Jacqueline recently contributed a chapter to Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Health and Aging, and authored the guide Create Your Care Plan: An LGBT Person’s Guide To Preparing For Medical Procedures.

Sharon Dornberg-Lee, AM, LCSW (she/her/hers) is the Clinical Director of Community Services at CJE SeniorLife, where she has worked for 25 years. Dornberg-Lee provides psychotherapy services to older adults and supervised therapists and care managers in a number of the agency’s programs.  She is a frequent presenter on topics related to effective clinical practice with older adults and a past lecturer at Crown Family School where she taught Aging and Mental Health.

Kate Krajci, AM, LCSW (she/they) is Director of the Clinical Practice with Older Adults Program at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her Chicago-based private practice, Life Changes Counseling and Care Planning, offers psychotherapy and care planning services to older adults and family caregivers. She has honed clinical, supervisory, program development and advocacy skills across a variety of Chicago’s most trusted aging service providers. Kate acts as the Immediate Past President of the Illinois Coalition on Mental Health and Aging and has held numerous local and national leadership roles over 19 years of social work practice. She earned her master’s degree in social work at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

Stanley G. McCracken, Ph.D., LCSW (he/him/his) is retired from the University of Chicago, SSA/Crown School of Social Work Policy & Practice.  He has over forty years’ experience as a clinician, educator, and consultant.  He has written about psychiatric rehabilitation, addiction, behavioral pharmacology, aging, motivational interviewing, and staff training.  His current practice interest is supporting healers who work with refugees and immigrants; veterans; older adults; and individuals in behavioral health and medical settings.  He consults with staff at Asian Human Services, and Rush University. He is on the board of directors of Lake County Veterans and Family Services Foundation and the professional advisory group for Advocate Condell Clinical Pastoral Education.

Padraic Stanley, MSW, LCSW is the program manager for community-based health promotion for the Rush University Medical Center Department of Social Work & Community Health. He is also the chair of Rush’s Immigrant Health Working Group, which oversees Rush’s immigrant health and welcoming healthcare initiatives. He is a graduate of the Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, where he completed the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and completed clinical practicum at Heartland Human Care Services and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Currently, he is an adjunct instructor at Loyola University Chicago, associate professor of Social Work at the Rush University College of Health Sciences, on the associate board for Erie Neighborhood House, and the executive board for the International Association for Social Work with Groups.

Katherine Thompson, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Department at The University of Chicago Medical Center. She is also the Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Supporting Healthy Aging Resources & Education (SHARE) Network. Her clinical interests are primary care for older adults, dementia, and frailty. She earned her medical degree from The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed an Internship, Residency, and Fellowship at The University of Chicago Medical Center.

Matthew Vail, LCSW (he/him) is Manager of Social Work and Patient Navigation for Affirm: the Rush Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Reproductive Health. He is a practicing psychotherapist who works with adults across the lifespan experiencing complex trauma, substance use issues, and grief and loss. He trains other providers in the provision of LGBTQ-competent care and is an advocate for reduced barriers to accessing affirming and medically necessary services for trans and non-binary clients. Matthew has co-authored several articles on the integration of social work into outpatient medical settings as a means for promoting health equity. He serves on Rush University System for Health’s LGBTQ Leadership Council and is co-chair for the Chicago Network for LGBT Aging.

Erin Weir Lakhmani is a Senior Researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, where she conducts research and provides technical assistance on Medicare and Medicaid policy issues. Her current work focuses on integrated care programs for dually eligible (Medicare-Medicaid) beneficiaries and Medicaid managed care. Throughout her career, Erin’s work has focused on health policy and health care access for older adults and adults with disabilities. She possesses more than ten years of experience in Social Work and significant subject matter expertise in Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs. Prior to her work at Mathematica, Erin served as the Director of Community Engagement at Molina Healthcare of Illinois and the Manager of Health Care Access at AgeOptions.

Shellie N. Williams, MD, FAAHPM is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Department at The University of Chicago Medical Center.  She is also a Co-Investigator in the Supporting Healthy Aging Resources & Education (SHARE) Network. Her clinical interests are dementia, delirium recognition and prevention, palliative medicine, and geriatric medicine. She earned her medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.