The Leon and Josephine Winkelman Lecture Series was established at the University of Michigan School of Social work by the Winkelman brothers - Stanley J., John, Frederick R., and Henry R. - as a memorial to their parents.
The lecture series provides a forum for the presentation of new and emerging knowledge from the social sciences and the helping professions in the field of gerontology and for the discussion of the applications of such knowledge to the development of social policy, the organization and management of social welfare services, and the delivery of social work services.
Improving Low-income, Homebound Older Adults’ Access to Mental Health Services with Technology and Lay Counselors
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
2 - 4 PM ET
This is a hybrid event. It will take place in the Educational Conference Center (ECC) and on Zoom. CE is only available to those who attend in person. This event has been approved for 2 CE hours.
Presenter Information
Namkee G. Choi, PhD, MSW
Professor and Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology
University of Texas as Austin School of Social Work
Namkee G. Choi, PhD, MSW, is a professor and Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology in the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. Dr. Choi’s research goal is to improve low-income, especially racial/ethnic minority, older adults’ access to mental health services by expanding geriatric mental health workforces. Dr. Choi has been implementing randomized clinical trials of the real-world effectiveness of depression treatments and prevention interventions for homebound older adults that are tele-delivered by bachelor's-level lay counselors. Dr. Choi is also implementing a fall prevention program for homebound older adults, led by lay coaches, using a tablet-based, gamified exercise program. Dr. Choi’s other areas of research include late-life suicide and substance misuse. She has done extensive research on older suicide decedents with respect to physical and mental health problems that contributed to their death by suicide and suicide means and on the potential harms of substance misuse among older adults. Dr. Choi is the recipient of the 2021 Gerontological Society of America’s Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contribution to Health Aging.
Panelists
Addie Weaver
Associate Professor of Social Work, Associate Director of Doctoral Programs
My research aims to increase access to mental health services for underserved, economically disadvantaged individuals and families living in rural communities. As an intervention and services researcher, I seek to develop and test innovative approaches for adapting, translating, and disseminating evidence-based treatment to increase the accessibility, acceptability, and sustainability of mental health care in rural communities. I am also interested in using epidemiologic data to better understand the prevalence and etiology of mental illness in rural communities, with attention to the heterogeneity of rural populations and the potential importance of understudied subgroup differences. The ultimate goal of my research is to improve the quality of life for rural residents with mental health needs.
Mary Janevic, PhD, MPH
Research Associate Professor, Health Behavior and Health Equity
University of Michigan School of Public Health
Dr. Janevic's research centers around promoting healthy aging, particularly in underserved populations, using community-engaged research methods. A major focus of her work is disparities in chronic pain and developing chronic pain self-management interventions for vulnerable populations. Related areas of interest are community health workers, mobile health solutions for chronic pain management, and the role of pets in coping with chronic pain. Previously Dr. Janevic was a post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, UK, where she assisted with the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing. She has also worked at Kaiser Permanente-Northern California Region, where she coordinated health education programs focusing on chronic disease management.