Jennifer Crittenden, Ph.D.

Dr. Jennifer Crittenden is an assistant professor of social work at UMaine and also serves as the Associate Director at the University of Maine Center on Aging. She has over sixteen years of experience in professional and community education, program evaluation and program planning. Nearly all research projects and grant-funded programs under her management entail the translation of academic research into professional and public education programs, events and dissemination activities. Dr. Crittenden has been involved in implementing and evaluating a wide range of research, training, and community service initiatives including serving as the Program Manager for Encore Leadership Corps, an innovative volunteer leadership program for Mainers 50+ and serving as Project Manager for the National Institutes of Health-funded Balancing Act Clinical Trial, a research study testing a falls prevention program among older adults with visual impairments. Dr. Crittenden has also served at the lead evaluator for the MOTIVATE oral health training program, an interprofessional training effort implemented in long-term care settings across Maine, aimed at improving oral health care provided to older adults. Her current research, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, focuses on how older adults manage multiple life roles in addition to their formal volunteer work. Her research has identified strategies that both older adults and volunteer managers use to reduce role conflict and promote civic engagement among older adults, particularly those older adults who are employed or who are serving as caregivers.

In addition to her professional work, she is a member of a number of organizations and professional groups including the Maine Gerontological Society, the Scholars Strategy Network, and the Gerontological Society of America where she has served as the co-chair of the Rural Aging Interest Group. Dr. Crittenden also serves as a social work field instructor for the Center on Aging for both BSW and MSW interns. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Tri-State Learning Collaborative on Aging and the Maine Age-Friendly State Advisory Committee.

Education

M.S.W. from the University of Maine

Ph.D. from the University of Maine