Emily S Ihara
Biographic Data
| ID | 145064 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Emily S Ihara |
| GIVEN NAMES | Emily S |
| FAMILY NAME | Ihara |
| SIGNATURE | IHARA E S |
| AFFILIATIONS | George Mason University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3163-2380 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 48 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
I Have Decided to Read Out Loud for the Rest of My Life! Cognitive Health and the StrongerMemory Program
The StrongerMemory program aims to improve cognitive health in older adults through three daily brain exercises stimulating the prefrontal cortex: reading aloud, writing, and math activities. The brain’s prefrontal cortex governs memory retrieval, decision-making, concentration, planning, insight, and judgment. This paper reports on focus groups conducted to understand participants’ perspectives of the StrongerMemory program and their continuatio…
Intergenerational learning strategies for addressing ageism among college and university students
Intergenerational (IG) learning strategies can increase social and emotional wellness, among both students and elders while challenging ageism. However, research on IG learning to address biases among college students is still emerging. A scoping review was conducted to explore what is known about IG learning, the potential relevance of IG learning to reduce ageism, and implications for education, policy, and research. Included were peer-reviewed…
Can brain exercises mitigate cognitive decline? A quasi-experimental evaluation of the StrongerMemory program
The StrongerMemory program, a structured intervention involving reading aloud, writing by hand, and completing simple math problems, is designed to stimulate the prefrontal cortex and enhance cognitive functioning. This study addresses a research gap by evaluating a multi-modal cognitive intervention compared to traditional single-domain approaches. It aligns with emerging frameworks emphasizing population-informed, personalized cognitive trainin…
Don’t Treat Us Like Fragile Babies
Ageism in health care is a serious and complex issue which can have deleterious consequences for an older person's health and well-being. Intergenerational mentoring programs that match medical students with non-familial, community-dwelling older adults provide an opportunity to cultivate more positive attitudes about aging. Intergenerational mentoring programs create prospects for reciprocal relationships that can enrich medical students' learni…
Virtual reality case simulation to build skill competencies in working with substance-engaged clients
Virtual Reality (VR) simulation training can offer social work students a person-centered learning approach that emphasizes in-vivo experience in applying social work skills to a case simulation, with post-simulation debriefing that links students’ experiences back to direct practice learning objectives. VR simulation offers the unique opportunity for interprofessional group decision-making and support in providing care, offering a context where …
Ageism, Racism, Sexism, and Work With Older Healthcare Clients
Women are subject to health disparities across the life course, owing to multiple factors, including sexism, ageism, and other forms of structural discrimination and mistreatment which have been linked with greater risks for sexual violence and related trauma as well as resulting problems with physical and mental health as well as overall wellbeing. Thus, a more intersectional approach to healthcare and social service delivery for older women is …
Teaching Note—Student Satisfaction With an Integrative Research Learning Environment
The Social Work integrative Research Lab (SWiRL) provides opportunities for undergraduate students to engage meaningfully with research and allows graduate students to develop mentoring skills. We conducted a survey of alumni (N=20) to learn whether: a) alumni endorsed the benefits of participation and b) SWiRL experiences contributed to professional development. We also conducted a social network analysis (N=16) of current participants to explor…
Community arts engagement supports perceptions of personal growth in older adults
Creating Interprofessional Readiness to Advance Age-Friendly U.S. Healthcare
A successful interprofessional faculty development program was transformed into a more clinically focused professional development opportunity for both faculty and clinicians. Discipline-specific geriatric competencies and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies were aligned to the 4Ms framework. The goal of the resulting program, Creating Interprofessional Readiness for Complex and Aging Adults (CIRCAA), was to advance …
A Novel Participant-Empowered Pedagogical Approach to Engage and Retain Control Group Participants in Arts-Based Randomized Controlled Trials
The overall purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the effect of arts classes (ballroom dance and ukulele) on older adults’ well-being compared with a social conversation control group. This article describes a novel participant-empowered pedagogical approach to enhance control group retention and engagement. Sixty-four participants ( M = 71 years) participated twice weekly in a 10-week intervention that included ballroo…
Change in Self-Reported Health Status among Immigrants in the United States
Although acculturation may have positive effects for immigrants, including better socioeconomic profiles and increased occupational opportunities, their health profiles deteriorate with longer duration in the U.S. Prior research indicates that increasing acculturation is associated with some poorer health outcomes among immigrants in the U.S. However, most of these studies have used length of stay or English language proficiency as proxies for ac…
Grandchildren Caring for Grandparents
This study focuses on grandchildren (Generation 3 or G3) caring for grandparents (Generation 1 or G1) and uses agent-based modeling to conceptualize and test a model of two factors—capability and motivation—that may affect a G3's decision to provide care for a G1. We tested our conceptual model and found that the simulated proportion of G3 caregivers has concurrent validity with existing empirical data. In experiments conducted with the validated…
Culture and Familism
Increasingly, grandparents provide primary care for their grandchildren, but minimal research exists focusing on Asian and Pacific American grandparent caregivers. Using the conceptual framework of familism, this case study explores the context of a Korean American, interracial, two-grandparent household (age 72 and 73) raising their 12-year-old grandson. The interview of this family was analyzed using coding, memoing, and comparative analysis te…
They Treat us Like Pests
This article presents findings from a qualitative study of Latino immigrant experiences seeking health care services in the wake of an anti-immigrant "crackdown" ordinance similar to Arizona's SB 1070. Prince William County, Virginia's 2007 "Rule of Law" ordinance escalated law enforcement efforts that targeted this population for deportation and ordered staff to ensure that no one receive social services other than those required by federal law.…
Spirituality
Spirituality is often ignored as a central component of wellness. According to Pacific cultural beliefs, spiritual harmony is necessary for wellness to emerge and is particularly salient for Pacific elders who are intergenerational connectors between the past, present, and future. Using principles of grounded theory for data collection and analysis of in-depth interviews with 10 Samoan and 10 Tongan elders in Hawai'i, two major themes emerged: me…
Discrimination, Family Relationships, and Major Depression Among Asian Americans
Exploring the Socioeconomic and Immigration Health Contexts of Asian Americans
Despite an overall picture of good health for Asian Americans in the aggregate, growing evidence shows that specific subgroups—particularly those with high proportions of immigrants—have diverse patterns relative to socioeconomic position and health. Using data from the largest U.S. state health survey, this study explores the contributions of socioeconomic and immigration factors to health status among Asian American subgroups. Results indicate …
Ethnicity Matters
This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and health status among Asian Americans using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based random-digit-dial survey with race-ethnic supplemental samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that the inverse relationship between socioeconomic position and health status is similar for Asian Americans when measured as an aggregate gr…
Discrimination, Family Relationships, and Major Depression Among Asian Americans
They Treat us Like Pests
This article presents findings from a qualitative study of Latino immigrant experiences seeking health care services in the wake of an anti-immigrant "crackdown" ordinance similar to Arizona's SB 1070. Prince William County, Virginia's 2007 "Rule of Law" ordinance escalated law enforcement efforts that targeted this population for deportation and ordered staff to ensure that no one receive social services other than those required by federal law.…
Exploring the Socioeconomic and Immigration Health Contexts of Asian Americans
Despite an overall picture of good health for Asian Americans in the aggregate, growing evidence shows that specific subgroups—particularly those with high proportions of immigrants—have diverse patterns relative to socioeconomic position and health. Using data from the largest U.S. state health survey, this study explores the contributions of socioeconomic and immigration factors to health status among Asian American subgroups. Results indicate …
Ethnicity Matters
This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and health status among Asian Americans using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based random-digit-dial survey with race-ethnic supplemental samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that the inverse relationship between socioeconomic position and health status is similar for Asian Americans when measured as an aggregate gr…
Grandchildren Caring for Grandparents
This study focuses on grandchildren (Generation 3 or G3) caring for grandparents (Generation 1 or G1) and uses agent-based modeling to conceptualize and test a model of two factors—capability and motivation—that may affect a G3's decision to provide care for a G1. We tested our conceptual model and found that the simulated proportion of G3 caregivers has concurrent validity with existing empirical data. In experiments conducted with the validated…
Culture and Familism
Increasingly, grandparents provide primary care for their grandchildren, but minimal research exists focusing on Asian and Pacific American grandparent caregivers. Using the conceptual framework of familism, this case study explores the context of a Korean American, interracial, two-grandparent household (age 72 and 73) raising their 12-year-old grandson. The interview of this family was analyzed using coding, memoing, and comparative analysis te…
Ethnicity Matters
This study examines the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and health status among Asian Americans using data from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based random-digit-dial survey with race-ethnic supplemental samples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses show that the inverse relationship between socioeconomic position and health status is similar for Asian Americans when measured as an aggregate gr…
Spirituality
Spirituality is often ignored as a central component of wellness. According to Pacific cultural beliefs, spiritual harmony is necessary for wellness to emerge and is particularly salient for Pacific elders who are intergenerational connectors between the past, present, and future. Using principles of grounded theory for data collection and analysis of in-depth interviews with 10 Samoan and 10 Tongan elders in Hawai'i, two major themes emerged: me…
Discrimination, Family Relationships, and Major Depression Among Asian Americans
Exploring the Socioeconomic and Immigration Health Contexts of Asian Americans
Despite an overall picture of good health for Asian Americans in the aggregate, growing evidence shows that specific subgroups—particularly those with high proportions of immigrants—have diverse patterns relative to socioeconomic position and health. Using data from the largest U.S. state health survey, this study explores the contributions of socioeconomic and immigration factors to health status among Asian American subgroups. Results indicate …
Grandchildren Caring for Grandparents
This study focuses on grandchildren (Generation 3 or G3) caring for grandparents (Generation 1 or G1) and uses agent-based modeling to conceptualize and test a model of two factors—capability and motivation—that may affect a G3's decision to provide care for a G1. We tested our conceptual model and found that the simulated proportion of G3 caregivers has concurrent validity with existing empirical data. In experiments conducted with the validated…
Culture and Familism
Increasingly, grandparents provide primary care for their grandchildren, but minimal research exists focusing on Asian and Pacific American grandparent caregivers. Using the conceptual framework of familism, this case study explores the context of a Korean American, interracial, two-grandparent household (age 72 and 73) raising their 12-year-old grandson. The interview of this family was analyzed using coding, memoing, and comparative analysis te…
They Treat us Like Pests
This article presents findings from a qualitative study of Latino immigrant experiences seeking health care services in the wake of an anti-immigrant "crackdown" ordinance similar to Arizona's SB 1070. Prince William County, Virginia's 2007 "Rule of Law" ordinance escalated law enforcement efforts that targeted this population for deportation and ordered staff to ensure that no one receive social services other than those required by federal law.…
Change in Self-Reported Health Status among Immigrants in the United States
Although acculturation may have positive effects for immigrants, including better socioeconomic profiles and increased occupational opportunities, their health profiles deteriorate with longer duration in the U.S. Prior research indicates that increasing acculturation is associated with some poorer health outcomes among immigrants in the U.S. However, most of these studies have used length of stay or English language proficiency as proxies for ac…
A Novel Participant-Empowered Pedagogical Approach to Engage and Retain Control Group Participants in Arts-Based Randomized Controlled Trials
The overall purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the effect of arts classes (ballroom dance and ukulele) on older adults’ well-being compared with a social conversation control group. This article describes a novel participant-empowered pedagogical approach to enhance control group retention and engagement. Sixty-four participants ( M = 71 years) participated twice weekly in a 10-week intervention that included ballroo…
Creating Interprofessional Readiness to Advance Age-Friendly U.S. Healthcare
A successful interprofessional faculty development program was transformed into a more clinically focused professional development opportunity for both faculty and clinicians. Discipline-specific geriatric competencies and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies were aligned to the 4Ms framework. The goal of the resulting program, Creating Interprofessional Readiness for Complex and Aging Adults (CIRCAA), was to advance …
Teaching Note—Student Satisfaction With an Integrative Research Learning Environment
The Social Work integrative Research Lab (SWiRL) provides opportunities for undergraduate students to engage meaningfully with research and allows graduate students to develop mentoring skills. We conducted a survey of alumni (N=20) to learn whether: a) alumni endorsed the benefits of participation and b) SWiRL experiences contributed to professional development. We also conducted a social network analysis (N=16) of current participants to explor…
Community arts engagement supports perceptions of personal growth in older adults
Virtual reality case simulation to build skill competencies in working with substance-engaged clients
Virtual Reality (VR) simulation training can offer social work students a person-centered learning approach that emphasizes in-vivo experience in applying social work skills to a case simulation, with post-simulation debriefing that links students’ experiences back to direct practice learning objectives. VR simulation offers the unique opportunity for interprofessional group decision-making and support in providing care, offering a context where …
Ageism, Racism, Sexism, and Work With Older Healthcare Clients
Women are subject to health disparities across the life course, owing to multiple factors, including sexism, ageism, and other forms of structural discrimination and mistreatment which have been linked with greater risks for sexual violence and related trauma as well as resulting problems with physical and mental health as well as overall wellbeing. Thus, a more intersectional approach to healthcare and social service delivery for older women is …
Intergenerational learning strategies for addressing ageism among college and university students
Intergenerational (IG) learning strategies can increase social and emotional wellness, among both students and elders while challenging ageism. However, research on IG learning to address biases among college students is still emerging. A scoping review was conducted to explore what is known about IG learning, the potential relevance of IG learning to reduce ageism, and implications for education, policy, and research. Included were peer-reviewed…
Can brain exercises mitigate cognitive decline? A quasi-experimental evaluation of the StrongerMemory program
The StrongerMemory program, a structured intervention involving reading aloud, writing by hand, and completing simple math problems, is designed to stimulate the prefrontal cortex and enhance cognitive functioning. This study addresses a research gap by evaluating a multi-modal cognitive intervention compared to traditional single-domain approaches. It aligns with emerging frameworks emphasizing population-informed, personalized cognitive trainin…
Don’t Treat Us Like Fragile Babies
Ageism in health care is a serious and complex issue which can have deleterious consequences for an older person's health and well-being. Intergenerational mentoring programs that match medical students with non-familial, community-dwelling older adults provide an opportunity to cultivate more positive attitudes about aging. Intergenerational mentoring programs create prospects for reciprocal relationships that can enrich medical students' learni…
I Have Decided to Read Out Loud for the Rest of My Life! Cognitive Health and the StrongerMemory Program
The StrongerMemory program aims to improve cognitive health in older adults through three daily brain exercises stimulating the prefrontal cortex: reading aloud, writing, and math activities. The brain’s prefrontal cortex governs memory retrieval, decision-making, concentration, planning, insight, and judgment. This paper reports on focus groups conducted to understand participants’ perspectives of the StrongerMemory program and their continuatio…
Psychology (17 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Medical education (7 works) · Gerontology (5 works) · Population (5 works) · Aging and Gerontology Research (4 works) · Applied Psychology (4 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Geography (4 works)