Title: Assistant Adjunct Professor
Education:
Yale University, MPH, PhDPostgraduate Training:
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, Geriatric Psychiatry Research Fellowship
Biography Summary:
Dr. Byers is an epidemiologist with a background in aging research, methods and biostatistics. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of late-life mental health—using advanced epidemiological and biostatistical techniques to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of late-life mental health disorders, with the aim of reducing the burden of these disorders by informing long-term clinical care. As a clinical epidemiologist studying geropsychiatry with an expertise in mathematical epidemiology, Dr. Byers has been heavily involved in research to determine nationally representative estimates of psychiatric disorders and health care utilization among older community-dwelling adults.
Dr. Byers was the recipient of an NIH K01 Career Development award, which involved the application of advanced methodology to address complex clinical questions on the onset, course, and outcomes of geriatric depression. Recently, Dr. Byers was awarded a NIH R01 to study the prevalence and key predictors of suicide-related behaviors in ethnically-diverse older Americans, and to study mental health services use in those older Americans at increased risk of suicide. In addition, she was recently awarded a Department of Defense Grant to study late-life PTSD and adverse health outcomes, including morbidity, mortality, and health services utilization, among U.S. Veterans. This study is the first comprehensive longitudinal examination of late-life PTSD and adverse health outcomes in U.S. Veterans. Dr. Byers has had her research published in several prestigious journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, and Archives of General Psychiatry.
Educational Expertise:
epidemiology, aging research, geriatric depression, biostatistics, methods
Research Areas:
clinical and mathematical epidemiology, geropsychiatry
Campus Location: VAMC
Publications on PubMed »
Clinical Services Research Training Program