Emmanuelle Belanger
· Associate Professor, Health Services Policy & PracticeVerifiedBrown University · Health Services, Policy and Practice
Active 2008–2026
About
Dr. Emmanuelle Belanger is an Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice at the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research within Brown University’s School of Public Health. She has a background in both social and health sciences, earning her Ph.D. from McGill University in the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, where her dissertation focused on patient participation in palliative care decision-making through qualitative research. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in social epidemiology of aging at the University of Montreal’s Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM). Since joining Brown in 2017, Dr. Belanger has led a research program utilizing mixed-methods approaches to assess and manage patient-reported symptoms in older adults, improve the quality of end-of-life care across diverse settings, and examine decision-making processes around palliative care. Her work is focused on areas including end-of-life care, gerontology, hospice care, long-term care, symptom management, and palliative care, contributing significantly to understanding and improving healthcare experiences for aging populations.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Internal medicine
- Family medicine
- Psychology
- Gerontology
- Emergency medicine
- Nursing
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Demography
- Pathology
- Environmental health
Selected publications
Figshare · 2026-04-14
articleOpen accessSupplementary Material 2.
Figshare · 2026-04-14
articleOpen accessSupplementary Material 2.
Figshare · 2026-04-14
articleOpen accessSupplementary Material 1.
The Gerontologist · 2026-05-12
articleSenior authorBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Survey research is important in tackling the complexity of the increasing numbers and types of assisted living and residential care communities (ALCs) and the services provided, as well as the staffing challenges affecting long-term care settings. We describe the methodological experience of conducting a nationally representative survey of administrators. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The sampling frame was drawn a directory of ALCs that were licensed, certified or otherwise regulated by states in 2019 . From October 2021-October 2023, the administrator from each randomly selected ALC was mailed a questionnaire about end-of-life care and cover letter with a username and password for web-response if preferred. Tailored follow-up was conducted with non-responders. RESULTS: A total of 2084 ALCs participated [Overall response rate (RR)=43.4%. Research staff made a total of 36,258 contacts with administrators in all sampled ALCs for an average of nine minutes per contact. The likelihood of obtaining a completed survey increased with additional contact attempts, with the most gains occurring within seven attempts. More contacts were required for large, urban ALCs as well as those with specialized memory care. Accounting for all direct costs, the average cost per survey completion was $195 exclusive of incentives. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: To obtain representative, high-quality data about the characteristics of residents and the care provided within the large and growing sector of ALCs, sufficient resources must be available to continue to develop and refine cost-effective, novel survey methods for recruitment and data collection.
Figshare · 2026-04-14
articleOpen accessSupplementary Material 1.
Figshare · 2026-04-14
otherOpen accessAbstract Background To explore the relationship between receipt of amyloid-β PET scan results and subsequent experiences of economic strain and financial decision-making for persons with cognitive impairment and their care partners. Methods A parallel convergent mixed-methods design where quantitative and qualitative data were simultaneously collected and analyzed. Participants included a subset of community-residing Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment who had an amyloid-β PET scan at a participating specialty center and their care partners, from the IDEAS study. Regression models tested associations between an elevated scan result and objective and subjective economic strain outcomes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and care partners ~24-36 months post-scan occurrence. Results Participants' mean age was 75, were majority White, non-Hispanic, highly educated, in good health, and well-resourced. Care partners were mainly spouses. Patients and care partners with elevated amyloid did not have higher economic strain at any post-disclosure time point compared to those with a negative scan. However, difficulty paying bills increased substantially for all participants over 18-24 months. Themes related to patient and care partner experiences of financial decision-making considering the scan were: 1) the need to make or update financial plans, 2) perceived care needs and financial resources for meeting care needs, and 3) involvement of family members in financial plans. Conclusions Despite engaging in financial decision-making post-scan, participants reported experiencing economic strain, as measured by difficulty paying bills. More research is needed across the wealth distribution to develop methods for identifying and addressing economic strain experiences following a diagnosis of dementia.
Journal of Applied Gerontology · 2026-02-09
articleOpen accessSenior author= 30), we describe policies administrators reported complying with at the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic and explore relationships between COVID-19-related policies and bereaved next-of-kin's perceptions of end-of-life care quality, integrating findings to develop a comprehensive examination of end-of-life care in assisted living. During the pandemic, most administrators reported allowing compassionate care visits and hospice services. Next of kin described limited visitation and external care services and declines in residents' physical, mental, and social well-being, emphasizing the difficulty of missing precious time together. This study examines next-of-kin experiences of residents who died during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing evidence to inform future infection control policies.
Alzheimer s Research & Therapy · 2026-04-14
articleOpen accessTo explore the relationship between receipt of amyloid-β PET scan results and subsequent experiences of economic strain and financial decision-making for persons with cognitive impairment and their care partners. A parallel convergent mixed-methods design where quantitative and qualitative data were simultaneously collected and analyzed. Participants included a subset of community-residing Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment who had an amyloid-β PET scan at a participating specialty center and their care partners, from the IDEAS study. Regression models tested associations between an elevated scan result and objective and subjective economic strain outcomes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and care partners ~24-36 months post-scan occurrence. Participants' mean age was 75, were majority White, non-Hispanic, highly educated, in good health, and well-resourced. Care partners were mainly spouses. Patients and care partners with elevated amyloid did not have higher economic strain at any post-disclosure time point compared to those with a negative scan. However, difficulty paying bills increased substantially for all participants over 18-24 months. Themes related to patient and care partner experiences of financial decision-making considering the scan were: 1) the need to make or update financial plans, 2) perceived care needs and financial resources for meeting care needs, and 3) involvement of family members in financial plans. Despite engaging in financial decision-making post-scan, participants reported experiencing economic strain, as measured by difficulty paying bills. More research is needed across the wealth distribution to develop methods for identifying and addressing economic strain experiences following a diagnosis of dementia.
Figshare · 2026-04-14
otherOpen accessAbstract Background To explore the relationship between receipt of amyloid-β PET scan results and subsequent experiences of economic strain and financial decision-making for persons with cognitive impairment and their care partners. Methods A parallel convergent mixed-methods design where quantitative and qualitative data were simultaneously collected and analyzed. Participants included a subset of community-residing Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment who had an amyloid-β PET scan at a participating specialty center and their care partners, from the IDEAS study. Regression models tested associations between an elevated scan result and objective and subjective economic strain outcomes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and care partners ~24-36 months post-scan occurrence. Results Participants' mean age was 75, were majority White, non-Hispanic, highly educated, in good health, and well-resourced. Care partners were mainly spouses. Patients and care partners with elevated amyloid did not have higher economic strain at any post-disclosure time point compared to those with a negative scan. However, difficulty paying bills increased substantially for all participants over 18-24 months. Themes related to patient and care partner experiences of financial decision-making considering the scan were: 1) the need to make or update financial plans, 2) perceived care needs and financial resources for meeting care needs, and 3) involvement of family members in financial plans. Conclusions Despite engaging in financial decision-making post-scan, participants reported experiencing economic strain, as measured by difficulty paying bills. More research is needed across the wealth distribution to develop methods for identifying and addressing economic strain experiences following a diagnosis of dementia.
Symptom Burden Across Disease Groups in Palliative Care Consultations
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® · 2026-02-24
article1st authorCorrespondingBackgroundThe goal of palliative care (PC) is to reduce suffering and improve quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Prior studies consistently demonstrate high symptom burden among PC patients; however, most evidence comes from cancer populations outside the US, leaving a gap in large-scale US data across disease groups.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using quality metrics from a large, nonprofit hospice agency in the US Northeast. The study included 5871 patients who received palliative care services and had at least one Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) assessment between July 2022 and December 2023. Five symptoms are described by severity on a 0-10 scale in a sample with malignant and non-malignant diagnoses.ResultsWe observed high prevalence of pain (34.3%), anxiety (32.3%), and dyspnea (28.0%) at first consultation. Many patients also reported moderate (4-6) or severe (7-10) intensity for pain (17.6% and 16.7%, respectively). Symptom burden also varied across disease groups: patients with solid tumors (63.3%) and liver disease (57.5%) exhibited particularly high rates of pain, while heart (46.9%) and lung disease (66.8%) exhibited high dyspnea. Among the 2852 patients with repeated consultations, there was substantial symptom improvement for pain (33.1% of patients), anxiety (22.1%), and dyspnea (19.3%).ConclusionPalliative care patients experience high symptom burden, varying by diagnosis. Planning access to tailored PC services to meet varying physical and emotional needs at a population level remains critical.
Recent grants
NIH · $2.7M · 2020–2025
Data Management and Methods Core
NIH · $54.2M · 2007–2029
Frequent coauthors
- 73 shared
Courtney H. Van Houtven
Duke University
- 70 shared
Pedro Gozalo
Providence College
- 68 shared
Megan Shepherd‐Banigan
Duke University
- 66 shared
Kali S. Thomas
Johns Hopkins University
- 61 shared
Vincent Mor
Providence College
- 47 shared
Tamra Keeney
Harvard University
- 47 shared
Adam J. Olszewski
Providence College
- 44 shared
Eric Jutkowitz
Brown University
Education
Ph.D., Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine
McGill University
Other, Social epidemiology of aging
University of Montreal’s Public Health Research Institute (IRSPUM)
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