Biography
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My favorite place growing up was a thriving intersection in Downtown Vancouver (Canada). I loved watching the throngs of people, hearing cars and buses rush by, smelling aromatic foods of street vendors, and spying views of glistening mountaintops peeking through the skyscrapers. I'm fascinated by the entanglement of people and place in built, social, and natural environments.
During my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University, geography became an avenue to critically consider and understand the social and environmental contexts of health issues. I am interested in how where we live impacts health and wellbeing. I received my Bachelor of Arts Honors in Geography (2010) and Bachelor of Education (2011), then pursued graduate studies in order to investigate, address, and educate others about geographies of health. I received a Graduate School Fellowship to begin studies in the Department of Geography, Environment and Society at the University of Minnesota. Upon moving to Minneapolis, I began volunteering in a local senior wellness community program. I took the opportunity to closely observe older people in my community during weekly visits, amassing a breadth of experience no longer limited to visits with my grandparents. I now noticed the woman with her walker laden with groceries struggling to cross the street in time, and began waving to the older man who sat on a shaded bench across the street. As I waded through snow drifts and navigated treacherously icy sidewalks, I reflected on the dangers posed to those less-mobile through unaccommodating environmental contexts. I listened to fears of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, including the dread of losing oneself and the ability to live independently at home. So often invisible and relegated to the margins, older adults took on a new role at the center of my research activities. After receiving my Master's degree in 2013, I advanced to the Ph.D. to further pursue research in environmental gerontology. My dissertation research involved in-depth qualitative and geospatial methods with older adults and community service providers across the Minneapolis metropolitan area. Findings identified salient neighborhood features (including accessible housing, transportation, and services) to support diverse older adults. My resulting publications advocated for policy to support older adults who are unhoused, low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, isolated, disabled, and aging in underserved communities. I received my Ph.D. in June 2018. |
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One of the greatest fears expressed by older adults in my dissertation research, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, inspired my postdoctoral research. I was a postdoctoral fellow and research investigator in the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan from 2018-2023. I continue to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to identify environmental factors linked to changes in cognitive function. We developed a new concept of Cognability to theorize how well neighborhoods may support healthy brain aging. I am developing a new area of applied clinical geography to incorporate geographic insights into healthcare and policy. My primary professional goals are to help diverse people attain a higher quality of life through community-engaged research, and advance strategies for healthy and inclusive lifelong communities.
The collective trauma of COVID-19 is fundamentally changing neighborhood landscapes, altering aging-in-place, and exacerbating health inequities. In April 2020 I launched the COVID-19 Coping Study with Dr. Lindsay Kobayashi. The longitudinal mixed-methods study of 7,000 aging adults across the entire United States investigates impacts of the pandemic on mental health and wellbeing. More information available at: https://www.covid19copingstudy.com.
The collective trauma of COVID-19 is fundamentally changing neighborhood landscapes, altering aging-in-place, and exacerbating health inequities. In April 2020 I launched the COVID-19 Coping Study with Dr. Lindsay Kobayashi. The longitudinal mixed-methods study of 7,000 aging adults across the entire United States investigates impacts of the pandemic on mental health and wellbeing. More information available at: https://www.covid19copingstudy.com.
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I am also co-author of a popular science book examining aging and lifelong wellbeing through the environment closest in: our microbes. The Whole-Body Microbiome (2019), co-authored with my microbiologist father Dr. Brett Finlay, examines how we might harness the microbes everywhere in and around us to enhance our health and longevity. Available in stores and online. www.wholebodymicrobiome.com
I was thrilled to join the Department of Geography and Institute of Behavioral Science as an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in August 2023. Here I'm extending my mixed-methods research on neighborhoods, health, equity, and aging. |
Positions held
Assistant Professor (2023-Present)
Department of Geography
Institute of Behavioral Science
University of Colorado Boulder
Department of Geography
Institute of Behavioral Science
University of Colorado Boulder
Postdoctoral fellow and research investigator (2018-2023)
Social Environment and Health Program
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Social Environment and Health Program
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Education
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2016: Visiting Scholar
2014-2018: Doctor of Philosophy
2011-2013: Master of Arts
2006-2011 Bachelor of Arts Honors (2010) and Bachelor of Education (2011)
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Select Honors and Awards
Grants and Fellowships:
- 2022-2027: National Institute on Aging Pathway to Independence Award (1K99AG075152): “Aging in Place Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset: A Study of Neighborhoods and Cognitive Health Among Older Americans.”
- 2021-2023: Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Early Career Investigator Mentorship Program
- 2020-2022: National Institute on Aging Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32)
- 2019-2022: National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research Grant Co-Investigator
- 2019-2021: Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research Postdoctoral Translational Scholar Program Fellowship
- 2018-2021: University of Michigan Institute for Social Research Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
- 2017-2018: University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
- 2016-2017: National Sciences Foundation Geography and Spatial Sciences Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (No. 1558577): Awarded to PI Susan Craddock and Co-PI Jessica Finlay
- 2015-2016: Alfred Bader Fellowship: Awarded for one year of study and research which contributes to the advancement of knowledge and to society
- 2015-2016: Department of Geography, Environment & Society Alumni, Faculty and Friends Graduate Fellowship
- 2015-2016: University of Minnesota Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship
- 2011: University of Minnesota Department of Geography Summer Research Grant
- 2011-2012: University of Minnesota Graduate School Fellowship
External Honors and Awards:
- 2016: Minnesota Gerontological Society Gerald Bloedow Scholarship: Awarded to outstanding students bridging academics, research, and practice in the field of aging.
- 2016: Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Award): Awarded to female doctoral students to recognize and encourage excellence in higher education.
- 2014: Association of American Geographers [AAG] Health & Medical Geography Specialty Group Peter Gould Master’s Paper Award
- 2014: AAG Health & Medical Geography Specialty Group Student Travel Award
- 2006: Canadian National Millennium Excellence Award: Awarded for significant community involvement, leadership, innovation, and outstanding academic achievement
- 2006: Miller Thomson Foundation Scholarship: Awarded for academic achievement and significant contributions to community service programs
Internal Honors and Awards:
- 2020: University of Michigan Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award
- 2016: Department of Geography, Environment, & Society Graduate Student Publication of the Year, “Therapeutic landscapes and wellbeing in later life”
- 2015: UMN Council of Graduate Students Travel Award
- 2012-2015: UMN College of Liberal Arts Research/Travel Award: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012
- 2014: UMN Department of Geography TA of the Year Award
- 2014: UMN President’s Student Leadership and Service Award
- 2013: Joseph-Kordell Scholarship: Awarded for demonstrating a commitment to working in the field of aging and bettering the lives of seniors
- 2010: Canadian Association of Geographers Prize: Awarded to a graduating student who has the most outstanding record and achievements in geography
- 2010: Queen’s University Medal in Geography: Awarded to the student who attains the highest academic average of all graduating geography students
- 2010: Queen’s University Graduating Athlete Award and Academic All-Canadian
- 2006-2010: Dean’s Honour List 2007-2010 (with Distinction 2008 & 2009)
- 2009: Queen’s Appeal Undergraduate Scholarship: Awarded in recognition of outstanding academic standing
- 2009: The F.W. Minkler Award: Awarded to an individual whose integrity, scholarship and contribution to Queen’s University is outstanding
- 2008: Dean’s Special Award: Awarded for outstanding academic achievement
- 2008: James and Mary Young Allardyce Brough Prize: Awarded to the second year student in a BA program who achieves the highest average in Geography
- 2006 & 2007: Queen’s University Principal’s Scholarship: Awarded in recognition of achieving an outstanding academic average
Curriculum Vitae
| finlay.jessica.cv.mar2024.pdf |
Any questions? Please contact Jessica Finlay at [email protected]