Lori Popejoy, PhD, RN, FAAN is currently the associate dean for Innovation and Partnership and an associate professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri.  She obtained her BSN’93, MS(N)‘96 and PhD‘07 from the University of Missouri, and has been a faculty member in the school since 2007.  She was awarded the John A. Foundation Building Academic Nursing Capacity Scholarship from 2002 to 2004.  Her post-doctoral training was supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation, Claire M. Fagin Post-Doctoral Fellowship from 2009 to 2012. 

Dr. Popejoy is a health systems researcher. In her current position she is building opportunities with community partners to use cutting-edge research findings to manage the complex care needs of older adults across the care continuum. Her research focuses on understanding the complex issues surrounding the provision of care to elders in hospitals, nursing homes, community settings, home healthcare and primary care. When asked about her accomplishments thus far in her career she states, “My research with my colleagues has changed care-delivery systems in the United States. With the help of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the education I have received from the University of Missouri, we have made an impact for the care of older adults around the world.”  This research centers around the design, implementation and evaluation of nurse care coordination and transitional care practices in a variety of aging-in-place settings that have national and international implications for the care of older people.

In addition to aging-in-place, Dr. Popejoy’s work in nursing homes has been ongoing for over 20 years and has centered on improving nursing home capacity to manage increasingly complex resident care issues and improve outcomes. Her work is interdisciplinary including colleagues from the health-related disciplines, informatics, engineering, ethics and economics. She has more than 100 publications in refereed journals and has received funding from National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality.  She has served as co-director or co-lead on three studies with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations (CMMI), funded for nearly 48 million dollars.

Dr. Popejoy is excited to take the position of Interim Dean of the Sinclair School of Nursing. She hopes to continue the strategic initiatives that have made the school a highly respected academic and top-ranked school in the United States. ““We have exciting times ahead. We are moving into our new building this fall and it will bring more opportunities for research, collaboration and experiential learning. The Sinclair School of Nursing is positioned to grow and flourish with our strong history of excellence and innovation.”

When Dr. Popejoy is not blazing trails at the Sinclair School of Nursing, you will find her enjoying life outdoors with her husband, daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. She loves to travel, kayak, fly fish, hike, garden and stay engaged in the Columbia community where she has lived for 41 years.