Costley, Alex

Associate Professor

Health and Human Performance

Phone: 718-262-5116
Office Location: HP-209
Email: acostley@york.cuny.edu

With a background in anthropology, public policy, and medical education, I study aging and aging-in-place from cultural, political, and clinical perspectives. In medical education, I evaluate the impact of community-based geriatric training on the attitudes of primary-care physicians. Current research explores the impact of urban planning on older adults' health, function, quality-of-life, and risk of food-insecurity.

Curriculum Vitae

Office Hours

Day	Time
Wednesdays (HP-204)	3:00 to 5:00 PM
Thursdays (HP-204)	4:00 to 5:00 PM
Also by appointment: please e-mail: acostley@york.cuny.edu	or call: 718-262-5116

Education

Degree	Institution	Field	Dates
certificate	Environmental System Research Inst	GIS Spatial Analysis	2019
PhD	Columbia University	Medical Anthropology	2008
MA	Columbia University	Anthropology	1996
BA	University of Massachusetts	Anthropology	1992

Areas of Expertise

Program evaluation and research in educational outcomes.
Health and functional assessment with community-dwelling older adults.
Aging-in-place and translational research in public policy.
Policy research on older adults, food access/insecurity, and Social Security.

Publications in Field Of Expertise

Articles

Costley, Alex, W. "Exploring the Social and Demographic Contexts of Food Insecurity among Older Adults in the United States." J Aging & Geriatric Medicine,. 1 2017: 1-4.

Costley, Alex, W. "Exploring Skills-Based Competencies through a Geriatric Care Management Framework." Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. 36 2015: 1-13.

Costley, A. W. and Maurer, M. S.. "Timing Does Matter: Evaluating the Impact of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments on Knowledge and Attitudes in Year One of Residency." J American Geriatrics Society. 62 (12) 2014: 2446-2448.

Costley, Alex, W. "A Turning Point in Functional Assessment: From a Medical View to a Social View of Difficulty with Daily Activities." International Journal of Aging and Society. 2 (2) 2013: 83-91.

Costley, Alex, W. "Rethinking the Assessment of Daily Difficulties: From Functional Bodies to Functional Communities." Anthropology & Aging Quarterly. 33 (4) 2012: 158-165.

MS Maurer, AW. Costley, PA Miller, S McCabe, et al. "The Columbia Cooperative Aging Program, CCAP: An Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental Approach to Geriatric Education for Medical Interns." J American Geriatrics Society. 54 (3) 2006: 520-526.

S DasGupta, D Meyer, A Calero-Breckheimer, AW Costley. "Teaching Cultural Competency through Narrative Medicine." Teaching and Learning in Medicine. 18 (1) 2006: 14-17.

Chapters

Costley, Alex, W.. "Geriatric Education in the U.S. at a Turning Point: Moving Ahead Requires Looking Back." Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Aging Issues: Global and National Narratives. ed. Mala K. Shankardass spring 2024: xx-xx.

Refereed Proceedings

Costley A.W; Collier B; Demarinis L. Susseran S. "Aging and the Social Context of Food Insecurity in an Urban Minority Neighborhood." Journal Innovation in Aging. 1 (Suppl 1) 2017: 1201.

Costley, Alex, W. "Assessing Variations in the Perception of Age-Friendly Features in an Urban Community." Gerontologist. 53 (Supp 1) 2013: S294.

Costley, Alex. "Social Factors Affecting the Perception of Age-Friendly Features in an Urban Minority Community." Gerontologist. 52 (supp 1) 2012: S542.

Costley, Alex, W (2011). "In the Path of Progress: The Impact of Zoning Policy on Aging-in-Place and Age-Friendly Planning." Gerontologist. 51 (supp 2) 2011: S456.

Costley, Alex W (2010). "The Impact of Urban Planning on Aging-in-Place: The Attitudes of Minority Elders in New York City." Gerontologist. 50 (supp 1) 2010: S359.

Costley, Alex W (2009). "The Measure of Daily Life: Problems with Disability Criteria and Home Care Policy for Older Adults." Gerontologist. 49 (supp 2) 2009: S223.

Costley, Alex W (2009). "The Measure and Meaning of Daily Life: Using Mixed Methods to Explore Disability among Older Adults in New York City." J Nutrition, Health, and Aging. 13 (S1) 2009: S349.

Costley, Alex W (2008). "Family Is Not Enough: The Limits and Preferences for Daily Care among Older Adults in an Urban Neighborhood." Gerontologist. 48 (special issue 3) 2008: S742.

Costley, AW; M Maurer, S McCabe, S Dubin, K Page, A Cook (2006). "Assessing Geriatric Competencies Early in Residency: Exploring the Impact of Geriatric Clerkships in Medical School." Gerontologist. 46 (special issue 1) 2006: S526.

Costley, AW; M Maurer, S McCabe, S Dubin, P Miller, K Page, G Ridge (2005). "Can Earlier Exposure to Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs) Accelerate Interns’ Development of Geriatric Assessment Competencies?." Gerontologist. 45 (special issue 2) 2005: S404.

Costley, AW; M Maurer, S Dubin, K Page, G Ridge, S McCabe (2004). "Assessing Well Elders in the Columbia Cooperative Aging Program (CCAP): The Impact of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs) on Medical Residents’ Attitudes and Knowledge of Older Adult Patients." J American Geriatrics Society. 52 (S1) 2004: S136.

Other

Presented Papers, Lectures, and Exhibitions and Performances

"Invited Speaker, Food Insecurity in Older Adults, Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic in NYC" June 29-30, 2023: United Scientic Aging Conference: Rome, Italy.

"Keynote Speaker, Aging and Food Insecurity: Older Adults and Reduced Access to Food in Challenging Environments" July 30-31, 2018: 8th International Conference on Geriatrics Gerontology & Palliative Nursing: Barcelona, Spain.

"Aging in a Food Desert: Differences in Access to Food among Older and Younger Adults" November 14-18, 2018: Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, MA.

"Age-Based Differences in Access to Food in an Urban Minority Neighborhood" November 14-18, 2018: Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, MA.

"Aging and the Social Context of Food Insecurity in an Urban Minority Neighborhood" July 23-27, 2017: 21st International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, San Francisco, CA.

"Older Adults, Aging in Place, and Housing Challenges in New York City." November 5-9, 2014: Gerontological Society of America.

"Age-Friendly Perspectives on Urban Development and Environmental Impact" March 11-13, 2014: American Society on Aging.

"Assessing Variations in the Perception of Age-Friendly Features in an Urban Community" November 20-24, 2013: Gerontological Society of America.

"Looking at the Environmental and Social Impact of Urban Development from an Age-Friendly Perspective." September 9-11, 2013: World Health Organization, 2nd International Age-Friendly Cities Symposium, Quebec City, Canada.

"The Impact of Zoning Policies on “Age-Friendly” Planning and Attitudes toward Aging-in-Place" March 29, 2012: American Society on Aging.

"In the Path of Progress: The Impact of Zoning Policy on Aging-in-Place and Age-Friendly Planning" November 21, 2011: Gerontological Society of America.

"Urban Renewal and Aging-in-Place: The Impact of Zoning Policies on Age-Friendly Planning" October 30, 2011: American Public Health Association.

"A College-Community Partnership to Assess the Social Needs of Minority Seniors in New York City" April 26-30, 2011: American Society on Aging, San Francisco, CA.

"The York College Wellness Expo: A Service-Learning Project for Nutritional Education and Physical Activity in Elementary School Students" April 14-15, 2011: New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY.

"Can I Grow Old Here? Urban Renewal and Aging in NYC" February 17, 2011: Provost Lecture Series: York College-CUNY, New York.

"The Impact of Urban Planning on Aging-in-Place: The Attitudes of Minority Elders in New York City" November 19-23, 2010: Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans, LA.

"Exploring the Impact of Urban Rezoning Policy on Attitudes toward Aging in Place" November 6-10, 2010: American Public Health Association, Denver, CO.

"I Can Manage: Rethinking Disability in Later Life from Social and Cultural Perspectives" March 15-19, 2010: American Society on Aging, Chicago, IL.

"The Measure of Daily Life: Problems with Disability Criteria and Home Care Policy for Older Adults" November 18-22, 2009: Gerontological Society of America, Atlanta , GA.

"Rethinking Functional Disability among Community-dwelling Older Adults: Implications for Families, Caregivers, and Home-care Policy" November 7-11, 2009: American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA.

"The Measure and Meaning of Daily Life: Using Mixed Methods to Explore Disability among Older Adults in New York City" July 5-9, 2009: International Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Paris, FR.

"Family Is Not Enough: The Limits and Preferences for Daily Care among Older Adults in an Urban Neighborhood" November 21-25, 2008: Gerontological Society of America, National Harbor, MD.

"I Can Manage: The Measure and the Meaning of Daily Life among the Urban Elderly" March 25-29, 2008: Society for Medical Anthropology, Memphis, TN.

"Subjective Accounts in Functional Measures among Community-dwelling Urban Elders in New York City" November 16-20, 2007: Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, CA.

"Working with Well-Elders: Using Geriatric Evaluations to Promote Clinical Reasoning Skills in Medical Interns" March 1-4, 2007: Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, Portland, OR.

"Assessing Geriatric Competencies Early in Residency: Exploring the Impact of Geriatric Clerkships in Medical School" November 16-20, 2006: Gerontological Society of America, Dallas, TX.

"Increasing Medical Interns’ Confidence with Geriatric Assessment Skills through Earlier Exposure to Well-Elder Evaluations" March 3-4, 2006: American Association of Medical Colleges, Philadelphia, PA.

"Can Earlier Exposure to Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments (CGAs) Accelerate Interns’ Development of Geriatric Assessment Competencies?" November 18-22, 2005: Gerontological Society of America, Orlando, FL.

"Comprehensive Geriatric Assessments: Their Impact on Medicine Interns’ Attitudes and Knowledge of Older Adults" June 25-30, 2005: International Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Rio de Janeiro, BR.

Professional Honors, Prizes, Fellowships

Fellow, RAND Institute, Summer Institute in Aging, Biology & Demography: 2019.

Fellow, Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA): 2010-present.

Fellowship: Public Policy and Aging, Summer Workshop, Syracuse University: 2012.

Research Award, American Association Medical Colleges: 2005.

Graduate Fellowship, Public Policy Consortium: School for International and Public Affairs, Columbia University: 1997.

Grants-In-Aid

PSC-CUNY 54, Home Delivered Meals: GIS Mapping for Strategic Planning. July 2023 to June 2024: $2,650.

PSC CUNY 45, Walk With Me: Assessing Functional Mobility and Use of Public Space. July to December 2014: $3,495.

NYS Workforce Development Initiative, Professional Skills for Care Planning in Aging Services. August 2013 to June 2014: $15,000.

CUNY Health and Human Services, Geriatric Assessment: Interdisciplinray Curriculum and Faculty Development. December 2013 to July 2014: $9,000.

Auxiliary Fund, York College, Careers in Aging: The Continuum of Care. December 2012: $1,200.

PSC-CUNY 40, Aging at the Crossroads: Aging in Place in Jamaica.. July to December 2010: $1,500.

Arnold P. Gold Foundation, CCAP Geriatric Residency Education. June 2007 to July 2008: $40,000.

Dreyfus Foundation, Columbia Cooperative Aging Program. July 2005 to June 2007: $10,000.

Offices Held In Professional Societies

Society for Applied Anthropology, Fellow: 2011-present.

Board of Directors, National Association for Practice of Anthropology (NAPA): 2002-2004.

Other Professional Activities and Public Service

Gerontological Society of America, Abstract Reviewer for Annual Meetings: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023.

Routledge/Taylor Francis, Editorial Review Textbooks: 2019.

Oxford University Press, Editorial Gerontology Textbook: 2018.

Journal of Aging and Social Policy, Editorial Review: 2017.

Associate Editor, International J Aging & Society, Volume 3: 2012-2013.

Livable Communities Coalition, AARP and American Society on Aging: 2012-2013.

American Public Health Association, Abstract Reviewer: 2011, 2012, 2013.