Research/Areas of Interest

Health outcomes measurement development, work disability, productive aging, health policy

Education

  • PhD, Boston University, Boston, United States
  • MPH, Yale University, New Haven, United States
  • BS, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, United States

Biography

Dr. Marfeo is an Associate Professor at Tufts University within the Department Community Health. Dr. Marfeo is also the founder and Director of the Health & Productive Aging Lab. Dr. Marfeo is a health services researcher with expertise in development and psychometric evaluation of patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs) and health policy and advocacy research to investigate facilitators of productive aging across the adult lifespan. Dr. Marfeo's research specialization and clinical background as an occupational therapist allow her to bridge gaps between health services research and clinical applications of that research. Dr. Marfeo has expertise in both quantitative (using SAS, Excel, and SPSS software) and qualitative methods (focus groups, cognitive testing, and in-depth interviews). Dr. Marfeo uses both primary data collection and secondary analysis of national datasets in her research lab. Dr. Marfeo's interdisciplinary research approach integrates paradigms of disability, aging, public health, and rehabilitation sciences. Dr. Marfeo's research portfolio includes a range of collaborations with stakeholders including federal agencies (NIH, SSA, VHA); local community organizations (Boston metro area Councils on Aging); research organizations and private funders. Dr. Marfeo has secured extramural funding for her research over the past decade as well as developed a robust record of disseminating these findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and national and international conferences.

Along with her research, Dr. Marfeo is dedicated to professional service and development. Dr. Marfeo is a Quality Advisor to the American Occupational Therapy Association. In this role, Dr. Marfeo provides expert advice and guidance related to proposed quality measures that may impact the practice of occupational therapy (e.g. National Quality Forum, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). Dr. Marfeo was also named a member of the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) for the Refinement of Long-Term Care Hospital, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, Skilled Nursing Facility/Nursing Facility, and Home Health Function Measures. Dr. Marfeo is an active member of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine where she serves on several tasks force committees and community groups related to health policy, health services research, and measurement within the field of rehabilitation sciences. Dr. Marfeo has served as a scientific reviewer for federal funding agencies including NIDILRR and AHRQ.

Dr. Marfeo is highly committed to working to make higher education a more accessible and inclusive learning environment that better meets the diverse needs of today's student learners. Dr. Marfeo was a Tufts Tisch Social-Emotional Learning and Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow (2020-21), a Chair of the Tufts University Specific Learning Disabilities Committee, and serves on the Tufts Faculty Advisory Board to the Student Accessibility and Academic Resource Center.