Our Faculty

Dr. Lynn Tepper's research focuses on the behavioral aspects of health promotion, with emphasis on health behaviors such as tobacco use and aging. With more than 30 professional papers, book chapters, and textbooks, important products of her research have been the development of multidisciplinary health behavior assessment instruments, in both English and Spanish, for people who use tobacco products, as well as the testing of interventional protocols, which have been proven successful with older patients. Dr. Tepper is the primary investigator for three NIH-funded projects, and two U.S. Department of Education grants. In addition to her Mailman School responsibilities, she heads the Institute of Gerontology at Mercy College, which focuses on minority health and community outreach.

Additional Affiliations:

• Director, Institute of Gerontology, Mercy College
• Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
• Fellow, Brookdale Center on Aging
• Member, Board of Directors, Aging in America, Morningside Nursing Home
• Member, Board of Directors, The Foundation for Long Term Care
• Member, Board of Directors, NY Association for Homes and Services for the Aged

• Heft Scholar, Columbia University, 1980
• Fellow, Gerontological Society of America, 1990
• Delegate, White House Conference on Aging, 1995
• Who's Who in Gerontology, 1988-present
• Who's Who in America, 2000-present

Selected Editorial Boards

• Editoral Board, Journal of Thanatology

Tobacco Cessation Clinic
Dr. Tepper is a clinician and the director of research for the Tobacco Cessation Clinical Program, Columbia University Medical Center, which specializes in tobacco cessation intervention for those 60 and older in the minority population.

Geriatric Oral Health Initiative
Dr. Tepper is the director of a community-based oral health intervention program for older patients, which focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive health care and quality of life.

Colorectal Health Attitudes, Knowledge and Behaviors
Colorectal cancer incidences and mortality rates are the highest among older African Americans. Dr. Tepper is currently heading-up a research team that seeks to identify the barriers to colorectal cancer screening among African-Americans residing in Brooklyn, New York. Future plans include the development of a curriculum guide for training a naturally-occuring resource for social support (hairstylists) to deliver colorectal health promotion information to their customers, thereby increasing screening rates and decreasing mortality.