Tamara Sussman, Assistant Professor

Dr. Sussman was drawn to the School of Social Work at McGill University as a means to explore her key areas of interest such as how political systems and processes impact people's daily lives. Dr. Sussman completed her BSW and MSW at McGill and began teaching as an Assistant Professor at the School of Social work in the Fall, 2007.

One of Dr. Sussman's first social work courses required that she have weekly contact with an older adult experiencing some physical losses. Through this introductory course on aging, Dr. Sussman had weekly discussions with an older man who had recently lost his sight. Inspired by the tenacity and resilience of this man, and informed about the theory and practice of aging, Dr. Sussman decided to dedicate her career to older adults experiencing health related challenges and their family partners in care. In addition to years of clinical work with older adults and their families Dr. Sussman has spent the last seven years in Toronto exploring how health systems and services both help and hinder the well-being of older adults and families. Dr. Sussman aims to be a dedicated teacher, researcher and practitioner. Dr. Sussman hopes to continue producing and disseminating knowledge aimed at improving the well-being of older adults with chronic health care needs and their family partners in care.

Dr. Sussman brings to the School of Social Work over ten years of clinical experience in both hospital and community settings.

Dr. Sussman enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Toronto in 1999 while working for a Toronto based community agency that supported older adults with chronic health care needs and their family members. Her decision to enter the program was driven by her desire to examine how an increasingly complex and resource limited service system was impacting older adults and their family partners in care. Dr. Sussman's doctoral work focused on the stress reducing and stress producing aspects of the long-term community care system from the perspective of spouses caring for their partners with dementia. Committed to the integration of practice, policy and research Dr. Sussman has been offering workshops to community organizations interested in the study's findings. Through this process Dr. Sussman hopes to provide administrators, practitioners, older persons and families with data to support their advocacy efforts.

Funded by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, Dr. Sussman has spent the last year as a post doctoral fellow at the Murray Alzheimer and Education Research Program (MAREP) of the University of Waterloo. Dr. Sussman's primary responsibility at MAREP has been to lead a research study on the transition from community care to long-term care home. This research will inform practice and policy recommendations aimed at improving the transitional experiences of older adults and their family partners in care.

In addition to her clinical and research interests, Dr. Sussman aims to infuse her role as an instructor with energy and enthusiasm. She hopes that her strong commitment to student learning and her passion for issues related to aging will inspire students to learn about and work with older adults and their families.

Education

Ph.D. (Social Work) University of Toronto 2006

M.S.W. McGill University 1995

B.S.W. McGill University 1994

B.A. (Political Science) McGill University 1993

Employment

2007 Assistant Professor

McGill University, Faculty of Arts, School of Social Work               

2006-2007 Post Doctoral Fellow

Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP), Research Institute for Aging, University of Waterloo

1999-2006 Course Instructor

University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work

1996-present Group Facilitator

Wellspring

1996-1999 Social Worker

Senior People's Resources in North Toronto

1996-1997 Social Worker

Jewish General Hospital, Oncology

1994-1996 Social Worker

Montreal Neurological Hospital

Areas of interest

• Older adults with chronic health conditions and their families
• Dementia care
• Long-term care policies and programs

Description of current research

Dr. Sussman is currently working on a research study that explores residents' and family members' experiences with the transition from community care to long-term care home. The study also includes the perceptions of service providers in community agencies, service providers in long-term care homes and policy makers charged with designing and implementing policies around long-term care in Ontario. Ultimately the study aims to use the perspectives articulated by participants to put forth policy and practice recommendations that improve the moving experience of older adults and their family members.

Recent grants

2012-2015 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada- Insight Grant                 
$169,060

Homelessness in late life: Growing old on the streets, in shelters and long-term care

Grenier, A (P.I.)., Lavoie, J.P., Sussman, T., & Rothwell, D.

2012-2013 Canadian Institutes of Health Research- Planning Grant                  
$25,000

Developing a program of research to identify and address the health and social service needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults who reside in long-term care homes

Sussman, T. (P.I.). Brotman, S., Chamberland, L., Daley, A., Dumas, J., MacDonnell, J., & MacIntosh, H.

2010-2011 Centre de recherche et d’expertise en gérontologie sociale- CREGÉS                  
$5,240

Identifying the health care needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual older adults who reside in long-term care homes

Sussman, T. (P.I.) Brotman, S., Chamberland, L., Daley, A., MacDonell, J.

2010-2011   CIHR- Meetings, Planning & Dissemination Grant: Gender, Sex & Health                            
$25,000

Development of a program of research on prevention of abuse and neglect among older immigrant women

Guruge, S. (Co-P.I.) & Atsuko, M. (Co- P.I.), Agrawal, S., Beaulieu, M., Este, D., Gal, S., Gomes, F., Hanley, J., Harbison, J., Koehn, S., Lithwick, M., Manuel, L., Meier, H., Mullings, D., Olazabal, J., Ploeg, J., Roger, K., Spencer, C., Straka, S.,Sussman, T., Tyyska, V., Walsh, C.

2010-2011 CIHR- Meetings, Planning & Dissemination Grant                 
$8,500

Patients perspectives in planning/evaluation of collaborative care of depression in Canada

McCusker, J. (P.I.). Fleury, M., Jayabarathan, A., Law, S., Sussman, T., & Yaffe, M.

2009-2010 SSHRC- International Opportunities Fund                 
$25,000

Contemporary issues in critical gerontology: An international initiative

Grenier, A. (P.I.), Bernard, M., Charpentier, M., Scharf, T., Phillipson, C., Brotman, S., Sussman, T., Katz, S., McMullin, J., Torres, S., Biggs, S., Calasanti, T., Dumas, A., Viroit-Durandal, J.P.

2009 - 2012 Fonds québécois de la recherche sociale et culturelle (Établissement des nouveaux chercheurs, FQRSC)                 
$34,399

Transitioning from community care to a long-term care home in Quebec : The experiences of older adults, family members and service providers

Sussman, T. (P.I.)

2009 - 2010 Centre de recherche et d’expertise en gérontologie sociale- CREGÉS                  
$5,000

The unique features of ethno-culturally sensitive day centre services for older adults

Sussman, T. (P.I.), Cytrynbaum, F., Nahmiash, D., Suess, D., Tennenbaum, T.

2009-2013 FRSQ- Programme de subvention a la recherché en santé mentale                 
$720,000

Self care management of late life depression for older adults with co-morbid chronic conditions

McCusker, J. (P.I.), Cole, M., Sewitch, M., Yaffe, M., Strumpf, E., Lavoie, K., & Sussman, T.

2009-2013 FQRSC- Infrastructure Grant                  
$652, 976

Vieillissements, exclusions sociales et solidarités

Charpentier, M. (P.I)., Brotman, S., Charles, A., Dallaire, B., Grenier, A., Guberman, N., Leibing, A., Quéniart, A., Sussman, T., Thomas, D., Carpentier, N, Lavoie, J.P., Nour, K., Olazabal, J.I., Barylak, L., Beauregard, L., Brown, B., Cohen, M., Cytrynbaum, F., Durivage, P., Hockenstein, E., Gilbert, N., Israel, S., Moscovitz, N., Parisien, M., Regenstreif, A., Saginur, V., Silverman, M., & Sévigny, A.

2009-2011 Centre de recherche et d’expertise en gérontologie sociale- CREGÉS                  
$7,500

The impact of caregiving on the expression of intimacy and sexuality among spousal partner caregivers

Brotman, S. (P.I.), Orzek, P., Silverman, M., Barylak, L., Sussman, T., & Zizzi, P .

2008 – 2009 CIHR- Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant                  
$20,000

Implementation of chronic care management for late-life depression in primary care

McCusker, J. (P.I.), Arnaert, A., Ciampi, A., Cole, M., Feightner, J., Latimer,E., Parry, D., Sewitch, M., Sussman, T., Thind, A., Van Bussel, E., Yaffe, M.

2006-2008 Alzheimer Society of Canada Training Grant                 
$81,000

Transitioning to long-term care home: The experiences of older adults, family members, service providers and policy makers

Tamara Sussman, Sherry Dupuis

Keefler, J., Bond, S., & Sussman, T. (In Press) Book chapter: Psychosocial assessment. E. Harper and H. Dorvil (Eds.) Le travail social: théories, méthodologies et pratiques (translation: Social Work: Theories, Methodologies and Practices). Les presses de l’Université du Québec à Montreal

Sussman, T., & Dupuis, S. (2011).Supporting a relative’s move into a long-term care home: The role of starting point in shaping family members’ transition experiences. Canadian Journal on Aging, 31(4),(38 pgs).

Sussman, T., Bailey, S., Byford Richardson, K. & Granner, F. (In Press).How field instructors judge student readiness for entry-level practice.  Journal of Social Work Education (28 pgs).

Sussman, T., Yaffe, M., McCusker, J., Parry, D., Sewitch, M., VanBussel, L., Ferrer, I. (2011). Improving the management of late-life depression in primary care: Barriers and facilitators. Depression, research & treatment, Vol. 2011, 7 pgs.

Sussman, T. (2009). The influence of service factors on spousal caregivers' perceptions of community services, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52(4), 406-422

Sussman, T., Regehr, C.(2009). The influence of community based services on the burden of spouses caring for their partners with dementia, Health and Social Work, 34 (1), 29-40

Sussman, T., Bogo, M., Globerman, J. (2007). Field instructor perceptions in group supervision: Establishing trust through managing group dynamics, Clinical Supervisor, 26(1/2), 61-80

Sussman, T. (In Press). By P. Baranek, R. Deber  & P. Williams (2004). Almost Home: reforming home and community care in Ontario. Journal of Canadian Labour Studies.

Sussman, T. (2006). Negotiating Community Care: The experiences of spouses caring for their partners with dementia at home.

Sussman, T., Stoddart, K., & Gorman, E. (2004). Reconciling the congruent and contrasting roles of social work teacher, student and practitioner: An experiential account of three doctoral students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24 (1/2), 161-179.

Bogo, M., Globerman, J., & Sussman, T. (2004). Field instructor competence in group supervision: Students' views. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 24(1/2), 199-216.

Bogo, M., Globerman, J., & Sussman, T. (2004). The field instructor as group worker: Managing trust and competition in group supervision. Journal of Social Work Education, 40(1), 13-26.

Regehr, C., & Sussman, T. (2004). Intersections between grief and trauma: Towards an empirically based model of treating traumatic grief.  Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 4(3), 289-309.

Sussman, T. (2001). The case of Ontario's long-term community care market: Who's choice is it anyway. Canadian Review of Social Policy, 48, 79-92.