Professor of Economics and Scripps Research Fellow, Dr. John Bowblis wasted no time in 2020. In addition to 16 peer-reviewed papers accepted for publication and one research brief, Bowblis has an active role in five newly-funded grants. The research teams on three of these grants include other Scripps investigators.

This past November, Bowblis was also awarded AcademyHealth’s Long-term Services and Support Interest Group Publication of the Year Award for outstanding publication of 2019. This award recognizes a publication that advances knowledge regarding policy or practice related to healthcare and social services for individuals living with chronic and disabling conditions, their families and caregivers, and/or their service providers. The publication is titled “Is the Quality of Nursing Homes Counter-Cyclical? Evidence from 2001 to 2015.” The work explores how the strength of the local economy impacts nursing home staffing levels and retention of staff, and subsequently quality. This article was published in The Gerontologist and can also be found on the Scripps publication web page.

In addition to his academic work, Bowblis provided expert testimony on various legal matters related to the long-term care industry in 2020. Such topics included: alleged understaffing of nursing homes and alleged fraud related to the Five-Star Rating System reported on the Nursing Home Compare website.

“Being trained in the ‘dismal science,’ Scripps has provided a great environment and allowed me to work with excellent collaborators with diverse training to focus on improving care for older adults. Partnering with colleagues at Scripps keeps me motivated to keep working at a high level,” Bowblis said.

Scripps Gerontology Center currently has 23 Research Fellows across 11 departments at Miami University. Appointment as a Scripps Research Fellow acknowledges significant ongoing contributions to research and scholarship in the field of aging by current and emeritus Miami University faculty.