2nd Conference on Caregiving Research

Building Bridges: Advancing Family Caregiving Research Across the Lifespan

Friday, September 30 - Saturday, October 1, 2022

Joining us at the conference? Visit our Conference Program page to download the full program and get more on-site information.

Conference program

This conference will bring together a multidisciplinary group of national leaders in caregiving research, policy, and practice across the lifespan. Sessions will showcase innovations in research and build bridges across disciplines and conditions to address the urgent community, clinical and policy needs of family caregivers.

dOwnload the FULL AGENDA

Each day (Friday and Saturday), breakfast will be from 7 - 8 AM, followed by a full day of conference proceedings from 8 AM - 5 PM. On Friday evening, you're also invited to join the poster reception from 5:30 - 8 PM.

dOwnload the agenda-AT-A-GLANCE

Conference FAQs

Where is the conference being held?

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites, Pittsburgh.

One Bigelow Square, Pittsburgh, PA, 15291

(Cross streets: 6^th and Centre Avenues)

Google map for directions to hotel

 I’m driving in to Pittsburgh. Where do I park?

Valet parking is available at the DoubleTree Hotel for $30 a day. Parking is first-come, first-serve. Other parking garages nearby include BNY Mellon Financial Center Garage, BNY Mellon Center Garage, 350 Oliver Avenue Garage, and the Manor Complex Garage. ParkPGH (also available as an app) shows real-time parking availability in many downtown garages.

What’s the best way to get to the hotel from the airport?

For those not driving, taxis, Ubers, Lyfts can be used to get to the DoubleTree from the airport. Visit Pittsburgh has more detailed information on transportation from the airport.

I prefer using public transportation, is there bus service to and from the airport?

There is indeed. If you like using public transportation, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has service directly from the airport to just 3 blocks from the hotel on the 28X bus (28X Schedule). PRT fare is $2.75 for unlimited rides within a three hour period. You can purchase fares at the ticket vending machine near Door #6 next to baggage claim. Exact change is required when paying with cash as bus drivers do not carry change. The bus ride will take approximately 40-45 minutes and you will get off at the 7^th St. and William Penn Place Stop which is 0.3 miles from the Doubletree. When you exit the bus, head Southeast on 7^thtoward William Penn Pl, turn right on to Grant St., then left on to 6^th St., and then left on to Bigelow Square and the Hotel will be on your right.

Are you requiring that people be vaccinated for COVID to attend the conference?

Yes. As noted on the conference website, we are requiring that all people be vaccinated, so please bring proof of vaccination to show at registration. We are NOT requiring that people have received the bi-valent vaccines at this point; an original series + at least one booster is sufficient.

Are masks required during the conference?

No. We follow University of Pittsburgh policy. With the current level of community spread, masks are optional on campus and at our conference.

When will I be able to download the conference book and review abstracts?

Soon! We are hoping to have the conference book that includes all abstract for poster sessions on Monday, September 26^th. Keep checking back for this and other updates.

The National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing are collaborating to provide nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hours for the educational activity entitled: Building Bridges: Advancing Family Caregiving Research Across the Lifespan – Second Biennial Conference on Caregiving Research. Nurses completing the entire activity and evaluation tool may be awarded a maximum of 10.75 contact hours of NCPD. The University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission Accreditation. 

Keynote Speakers

We are thrilled to be joined by some of the foremost experts in caregiving research and policy. Learn more about our keynote speakers:

Kate Washington, PhD

Kate Washington, PhD, is the author of Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America (Beacon Press, 2021), the story of Washington's struggle to care for her seriously ill husband. She speaks about the role of unpaid family caregivers in a society and on the systemic challenges they face. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, Eater, Catapult, and many other publications.

Joseph Gaugler, PhD

Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, is Professor and Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He directs the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation as well as the Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving. His research interest include the longitudinal ramifications of family care for persons with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of home and community-based services for older adults with dementia and their caregiving families.

Senator Bob Casey

Senator Bob Casey is strong advocate for policies that will raise wages for the middle class and improve early learning opportunities and health care for children. Senator Casey serves on four committees, including the Finance Committee, the HELP Committee, and the Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also the Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, where his agenda is focused on policies that support seniors and individuals with disabilities. Through his Committee work, Senator Casey continues to be the Senate’s leader on disability rights, leading a total of 19 disability policy bills in 2019 alone that covered education, health, employment, financial security, civil rights, disaster preparation and relief, veterans, and Social Security.  He was the prime Senate sponsor of landmark legislation for individuals with disabilities, the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE).  ABLE will allow millions of families across the United States to save for the long term care of their loved ones with a disability by using a tax-advantage savings account. As the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Casey has led Senate efforts to ensure that our Nation’s seniors have the resources and support they need in their older age.  Senator Casey’s Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act became law in July 2018 and created a federal advisory council charged with developing a one-stop-shop of information to help grandparents raising grandchildren and other kinship caregivers raising relative children address challenges that they may face.

Conference Topics and Invited Speakers

We are very excited to highlight these topic areas and invited speakers rounding out a full two days of presentations. More details about individual sessions will be released, so keep checking back!

Caregiving as a Public Health Priority

Sheria G. Robinson-Lane, Ph.D., RN, MHA

Courtney Van Houtven, PhD

Caregiving Across Transitions

Andrew McCormick, MD, FAAP

Jennifer Lingler, PhD, MA, CRNP, FAAN

Cross-Cutting Research

Scott Beach, PhD

Esther Friedman, PhD

Erin Kent, PhD

Technology-Supported Caregiver Interventions

Sara Czaja, PhD

Christina Harrington, PhD

Bambang Parmanto, PhD

Understudied Caregiver Populations

Ann-Marie Rosland, MD, MS

Ranak Trivedi, PhD