Research Statement

Research Keywords

• Population Sciences
• Health Communication
• Health Care Cost and Utilization
• Family Caregiving
• Advance Directives

Presentations

• Sloss, E.A., Warner, E., Hebdon, M., Howes, L., Sward, K., & Tay, D. (April, 2023). Natural experimentation approaches to explore family well-being: A scoping review. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2023 Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) Conference. Poster, Accepted, 04/21/2023.
• Emotional and health impacts of end of life caregiving and bereavement: Implications for family caregivers in academia and STEM. (March, 2023). Invited Talk to the Policies and Practices for Supporting Family Caregivers Working in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Symposium 2 of the National Academies of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, and virtual. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/27/2023.
• Tay, D. L., Ansari, N., Muehlberger, J., Perkins, R., Keddington, A. S., Hashibe, M., & Ellington, L. (March 2023). Knowledge, perceptions, and perceived needs related to palliative care among cancer patients receiving immunotherapies. Poster session presented at the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Montreal, Canada. Poster, Presented, 03/23/2023.
• Chair, Flash Presentation 3. Inaugural Oncological Data Science Symposium. Huntsman Cancer Institute, SLC, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/28/2023.
• Tay, D. L., Hashibe, M, Ellington, L. When hope is not enough: The relationship between optimism, mental health and coping among immunotherapy patients and caregivers. Data blitz session presented at the 2023 Palliative Care Research Center Annual Investigator meeting. Presentation, Presented, 02/07/2023.
• Tay, D. (January, 2023). Immunotherapy, Palliative, End of Life Treatment Utilization and Spousal Outcomes (ImmPETUS): A linked population dataset for dyadic cancer research. Poster presented at the 2023 Utah Data Science Day. Poster, Presented, 01/13/2023.
• Tay, D. (November, 2023). Immunotherapy, Palliative, End of Life Treatment Utilization and Spousal Outcomes (ImmPETUS): A linked population dataset for dyadic cancer research. Poster presented at the 2022 Utah CTSI Translational Research Trainee Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT. Poster, Presented, 11/17/2022.
• Goodwin, R., Ornstein, K., Elmore, C., Utz, R., Tay, D., Ellington, L., Smith, K., Stephens, C. (November, 2023). Developing a Resource for Leveraging Population Data Sets to Advance Caregiving Science. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Poster, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Lowers, J., Stephens, C. E., Kelly, B., Utz, R. L., & Tay, D. L (Chair). (November, 2022). Existing Datasets for Family Caregiving and Bereavement Research: High-Value Applications and Key Considerations. Symposium presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Tay, D. L., Thygesen, L. C., & Ornstein, K. A. Serious mental illness exacerbation post-bereavement: A population-based study of partners and adult children. In D. L. Tay (Chair), Existing datasets for family caregiving and bereavement research: High-value applications and key considerations. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Utz, R., Hollingshaus, M., Ornstein, K., Tay, D., Stephens, C., & Smith, K. Health and well-being of family caregivers following hospice use. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Stephens, C., Hollingshaus, M., Iacob, E., Kelly, B., Tay, D., Ornstein, K., Smith, K., & Utz, R. (November, 2022). Utilizing population data to characterize nursing home decedents and their families at the end of life. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Kelly, B., Hanson, H., Meeks, H., Hollingshaus, M., Tay, D., Ellington, L., Stephens, C., & Ornstein, K. (November, 2022). Familial and sociodemographic determinants of place of death: A retrospective study of the Utah Population Database. Symposium session presented at the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. Presentation, Presented, 11/05/2022.
• Guo, J-W, Tay, D., Weinstein, S. M., Lyons, A., & Sward, K. Cancer pain trajectories in the last two years of life. (October, 2022). Paper session presented at the Asia-Pacific Association of Medical Informatics (APAMI), Taipei, Taiwan (Best Paper Award). Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 10/14/2022.
• Examining the impact of novel cancer therapies on palliative care needs and utilization: Implications for patient and caregiver outcomes. Research and Quality Grand Rounds, Emory Palliative Care Center, Online. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 07/21/2022.
• Caines, N., Muehlberger, J., Ellington, L., & Tay, D. L. (April, 2022). Collaborative communication between patients and caregivers for end of life decisions. Late-breaking poster accepted to the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MA. Poster, Presented, 04/09/2022.
• Mayahara, M., Tay, D. L., Kates, K., & Rosa, W. “No more blah blah blah”: The impact of climate change on hospice and palliative care is happening now. (February, 2022). Rapid Poster abstract presented at the State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, online. Poster, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Tay, D. L., Iacob, E., Reblin, Ma., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Cloyes, K. G., Jones, M., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L.. Cancer hospice caregivers’ self-care behaviors: The role of mental health, burden, and perceptions of competency. (February, 2022). Rapid poster abstract presented at the 2022 State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care, Virtual. Poster, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Kates, J., Whitehead, P. B., Frechman, E. L., Johnstone-Petty, M., Tay, D. L., DeSanto, K., & Fink, R. (February, 2022). A scoping-review of nurse-led research to improve advance care planning: A call to action. Rapid Poster presented at the State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Virtual. Poster, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Xu, J., Hebdon, M. C., Beck, A. C., Cloyes, K. G., Mooney, K. M., Tay, D. L., & Ellington, L. Hospice family caregiver burden and well-being: Employment as a moderator. (February, 2022). Rapid Poster presented at the State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Virtual. Poster, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Mair, C., Thygesen, L. C., Aldridge, M., Tay, D. L., Ornstein, K. End-of-Life Experiences among “Kinless” Older Adults: The Case of Denmark. (February 2022). Oral concurrent session presented at the State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care (Online). Presentation, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Tay, D. L., Iacob, E., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K. G., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Jones, M., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L. Cancer hospice caregivers’ self-care behaviors: The role of mental health, burden, and perceptions of competency. (February, 2022). Encore paper session presented at the Encore On-Demand Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care (Online, on demand). Presentation, Presented, 02/12/2022.
• Thomas Hebdon, M.C., Xu, J., Tay, D., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K. & Ellington, L. (November, 2021). Hospice caregiver burden and work productivity: An exploratory analysis. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America's Annual Scientific Meeting. Poster, Presented, 11/14/2021.
• Jones, M., Bybee, S., Gettens, C., Tay, D.L., Reblin, M., Ellington, L., & Cloyes, K.G. (February, 2021). Hospice care team members’ language use when discussing LGBTQ+ patients and caregivers. Poster accepted for presentation to the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
• Jones, M., Tay, D.L., Gettens, C., Thompson, C., Cloyes, K.G., Reblin, M., & Ellington L. (February, 2021). Grieving in a pandemic: How COVID-19 has impacted bereavement for family caregivers of hospice cancer patients. . Poster presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
• Guo, J. W., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K.G., Tay, D.L., Jones, M., Hebdon, M., & Ellington L. (February, 2021). Stress and support in family and non-family relationships within hospice cancer survivor social networks. Poster presented to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
• Cloyes, K.G., Tay, D.L., Gettens, C., Jones, M., Bybee, S., Wawrzynski, S., Reblin, M., & Ellington, L. (February, 2021). Exploring hospice providers’ thoughts and opinions on care of LGBTQ+ patients and caregivers. Poster presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
• Tay, D.L., Reblin, M., Cloyes, K.G., Guo, J.W., Jones, M., Hebdon, M., & Ellington, L. When financial health is tied to mental health: Predictors of hospice cancer caregivers’ psychological well-being. (February, 2021). Poster presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Annual Meeting, Virtual Conference. Poster, Presented, 02/19/2021.
• Tay, D.L., Ellington, L., Towsley, G. T., Supiano, K., & Berg, C. (November, 2020). Shared decision making between older adult home health patients and their caregivers: A dyadic coping perspective. Gerontological Society of America 2020 conference. Poster, Presented, 11/07/2020.
• Lipstein, E.L., Wittenberg, E, Tay, D. (2020). Intergenerational Decision Making: The Role of Family Relationships in Medical Decision Making. Symposium session in J. Lin (Chair), 2020 Society for Medical Decision Making. Virtual Conference. Panel, Presented, 10/20/2020.
  https://smdm.org/meeting/page/virtual-meeting-symp...
• Cloyes, K. G., Tay, D. L., Iacob, E., Billitteri, J., Reblin, M., & Ellington, L. (October, 2019). Hospice interdisciplinary team members’ attitudes toward sexual and gender minority patients and caregivers. International Conference on Communication in Healthcare. San Diego, CA. Awarded Top Poster. Poster, Presented, 10/27/2019.
• Kepka, D., Bodson, J., Lai, D., Sanchez-Birkhead, A. C., Vilallta, J., Mukundente, V., Tavake-Pasi, F., Davis, F. A., Lee, D., Napia, E., Mooney, R., Coulter, H., & Stark, L. A. (July, 2018). Extreme Affordability Conference. Ghana, South Africa. Awarded Top Poster. Poster, Presented, 07/01/2018.
• Litchman, M., Tay, D. & Guo, J. (2018). Public Perceptions of Nursing Following a High Profile Nurse Arrest. Paper session presented at the 51st Annual Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference. Spokane, WA. Presentation, Presented, 04/13/2018.
• Lai, D., Ellington, L., Towsley, G. L., & Berg, C. (April 2017). Expressing the Unspoken: Families Communicating Openly about End of Life. Paper session presented at the Western Institute of Nursing’s 50th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference. Denver, CO. Presentation, Presented, 04/21/2017.
• Lai, D., Doyon, K., Cloyes, K., Ellington, L., Reblin, M., & Clayton, M.F. (March, 2016). We're the eyes and the ears, but we don't have a voice: Perspectives of hospice aides. AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly. Research Poster Award. Poster, Presented, 03/09/2016.
• Lai, D., Davis, F., Mukundente, V., Napia, E., Tavake-Pasi, F., Villalta, J., Aiono, H., Warner, E., & Kepka, D. (April, 2015). Perspectives of parents from diverse backgrounds about the HPV vaccine: A University-community collaboration. Panel session presented at the meeting of the Utah Public Health Association: 2015 Utah Conference for Public Health. Layton, UT. Panel, Presented, 04/01/2015.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

• Care Trajectories of Utah Nursing Home Residents at the End of Life and of their Family Caregivers: A Population-based Pilot Study. PI: Caroline Stephens. Family Caregiving Collaborative & Center on Aging, 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2022. Total project budget to date: $25,000.00
• 1U for Population-Based Caregiving Science: Strengthening Partnerships, Leveraging Expertise, and Building the Pipeline of Population-Based Caregiving Research. PI: Caroline Stephens. Co-PI(s): Ken Smith, Djin Tay, Rebecca utz. Consortium for Families and Health Research, 07/01/2021 - 06/30/2022. Total project budget to date: $40,000.00
• Examining the Palliative, End-of-Life, and Spousal Spillover Effects for Immunotherapy in Advanced Cancer. PI: Djin Tay. Vice President for Research (VPR) Incentive Seed Grant, 03/01/2021 - 02/28/2022. Total project budget to date: $34,948.00
• Linking the Utah Cancer Registry to the UPDB Family Caregiving Dataset. PI: Tay. One-U for Caregiving Science Program, 12/30/2020 - 06/30/2021. Total project budget to date: $2,000.00
• Cancer Caregiver Interactions with the Hospice Team: Implications for End of Life and Bereavement Outcomes. PI: Ellington. 04/01/2016 - 04/30/2021. Total project budget to date: $2,252,243.00

Languages

• Mandarin Chinese, functional.

Geographical Regions of Interest

• Denmark
  (Coauthorship) Kristensen, M., Thygesen, L., Tay, D., Kumar, R., Groenvold, M., Aldridge, M., & Ornstein, K. (2020). Reconstructing family networks of decedents: A nationwide register-based study. Palliative Medicine (in press).

Publications

• Cloyes KG, Jones M, Gettens C & Wawrzynski SE (2023). Providing home hospice care for LGBTQ+ patients and caregivers: Perceptions and opinions of hospice interdisciplinary care team providers. Palliative & supportive care. Vol. 21, 3113-11. Published, 02/01/2023.
• Tay DL, Iacob E, Reblin M & Cloyes KG (2022). What contextual factors account for anxiety and depressed mood in hospice family caregivers?. Psycho-oncology. Vol. 31, 316325316-325. Published, 04/01/2022.
• Tay DL, Ornstein KA, Meeks H & Utz RL (2022). Evaluation of Family Characteristics and Multiple Hospitalizations at the End of Life: Evidence from the Utah Population Database. Journal of palliative medicine. Vol. 25, 376387376-387. Published, 03/01/2022.
• Whitehead P, Frechman E & Johnstone-Petty M (2022). A scoping review of nurse-led advance care planning. Nursing outlook. Vol. 70, 9611896-118. Published, 02/01/2022.
• Lin, J. Lipstein, E., Wittenberg, E., Tay, D., Lundstrom, R, Lundstrom, G. L., Sediqzadah, S., & Wright, D. (2021). Intergenerational decision making: The role of family relationships in medical decision making. Medical Decision Making, 6(2):23814683211039468. doi: 10.1177/23814683211039468. Published, 10/29/2021.
• Whitehead P., Frechman E., Johnstone-Petty M., Kates J., Tay D.L., DeSanto K. & Fink R.M. (2021). A scoping review of nurse-led advance care planning. (pp. 96-118). Vol. 70. Nursing Outlook. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2021.08.002. Published, 10/06/2021.
• Tay D.L., Iacob E., Reblin M., Cloyes K.G., Jones M., Hebdon M.C.T., Mooney K., Beck A.C. & Ellington L. (2021). What contextual factors account for anxiety and depressed mood in hospice family caregivers?. (pp. 316-325). Vol. 31. Psycho-Oncology. Published, 09/12/2021.
• Tay, D. L., Ellington, L., Towsley, G. T., Supiano, K., & Berg, C. A. (2021). Emotional expression in conversations about advance care planning among older adult home health patients and their caregivers. Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.029. Published, 09/01/2021.
• Tay, D. L., Ornstein, K. A., Meeks, H., Utz, R. L., Smith, K. R., Stephens, C., Hashibe, M., & Ellington, L. (2021). Evaluation of family characteristics and multiple hospitalizations at the end of life: Evidence from the Utah Population Database. Journal of Palliative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0071. Published, 08/27/2021.
• Guo J.W., Reblin M., Tay D.L., Ellington L., Beck A.C. & Cloyes K.G. (2021). Patterns of stress and support in social support networks of in-home hospice cancer family caregivers. (pp. 3121-3141). Vol. 38. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Published, 06/16/2021.
• Kristensen, M., Thygesen, L., Tay, D., Kumar, R., Groenvold, M., Aldridge, M., & Ornstein, K. (2021). Reconstructing family networks of decedents: A nationwide register-based study. Palliative Medicine. doi:10.1177/0269216321998602. Published, 04/06/2021.
• Tay, D. L., Thompson, C. Jones, M., Gettens, C. Cloyes, K. G., Reblin, M., Thomas Hebdon, M. C., Beck, A. C., Mooney, K., & Ellington, L. (2021). ‘I feel all alone out here’: Analysis of audio diaries of bereaved hospice family caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000763. Published, 03/03/2021.
• Rutkoski H, Tay DL, Dixon BL, Pinzon LM, Mooney R, Winkler JR & Kepka D (2020). A Multi-state Evaluation of Oral Health Students' Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer and HPV Vaccination. Journal of cancer education. Vol. 35, 1017-1025. Published, 10/01/2020.
• Tay, D. L. & Ellington L, Towsley GL, Supiano K, Berg CA (2020). Evaluation of a Collaborative Advance Care Planning Intervention among Older Adult Home Health Patients and Their Caregivers. J Palliat Med. Vol. 23, 1214-1222. Published, 09/01/2020.
• Cloyes, K.G., Tay, D.L., Iacob, E., Jones, M., Reblin, M., & Ellington, L. (2020). Hospice interdisciplinary team providers’ attitudes toward sexual and gender minority patients and caregivers. Patient Education and Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.07.004. Published, 07/08/2020.
• Kepka D, Rutkoski H, Pappas L, Tay DL, Winkler JR, Dixon B, Velazquez A & Pinzon LM (2019). US oral health students' willingness to train and administer the HPV vaccine in dental practices. Preventive medicine reports. Vol. 15, 100957. Published, 09/01/2019.
• Guo JW, Tay DL & Litchman ML (2019). Hashtags and heroes: perceptions of nursing on Twitter following a high profile nurse arrest. Journal of professional nursing. Vol. 35, 398-404. Published, 04/01/2019.
• Warner EL, Bodson J, Mooney R, Lai D, Samadder NJ & Kepka D (2018). Latinas' Colorectal Cancer Screening Knowledge, Barriers to Receipt, and Feasibility of Home-Based Fecal Immunochemical Testing. Journal of immigrant and minority health. Vol. 20, 981-990. Published, 08/01/2018.
• Lai D, Cloyes KG, Clayton MF, Doyon K, Reblin M, Beck AC & Ellington L (2018). WE'RE THE EYES AND THE EARS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A VOICE: PERSPECTIVES OF HOSPICE AIDES. Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Vol. 20, 47-54. Published, 02/01/2018.
• Lai D, Bodson J, Warner EL, Ayres S, Mooney R & Kepka D (2017). Younger Age and Health Beliefs Associated with Being Overdue for Pap Testing among Utah Latinas who were Non-Adherent to Cancer Screening Guidelines. Journal of immigrant and minority health. Vol. 19, 1088-1099. Published, 10/01/2017.
• Dingley CE, Clayton M, Lai D, Doyon K, Reblin M & Ellington L (2017). Caregiver Activation and Home Hospice Nurse Communication in Advanced Cancer Care. Cancer nursing. Vol. 40, E38-E50. Published, 09/01/2017.
• Lai D, Bodson J, Davis FA, Lee D, Tavake-Pasi F, Napia E, Villalta J, Mukundente V, Mooney R, Coulter H, Stark LA, Sanchez-Birkhead AC & Kepka D (2017). Diverse Families' Experiences with HPV Vaccine Information Sources: A Community-Based Participatory Approach. Journal of community health. Vol. 42, 400-412. Published, 04/01/2017.
• Lai D, Ding Q, Bodson J, Warner EL & Kepka D (2016). Factors Associated with Increased HPV Vaccine Use in Rural-Frontier U.S. States. Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.). Vol. 33, 283-94. Published, 07/01/2016.
• Warner EL, Lai D, Carbajal-Salisbury S, Garza L, Bodson J, Mooney K & Kepka D (2015). Latino Parents' Perceptions of the HPV Vaccine for Sons and Daughters. Journal of community health. Vol. 40, 387-94. Published, 06/01/2015.