Sharon Merriman-Nai
Associate Scientist
Retired, Part-Time
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
302-831-6107
Biography
Sharon Merriman-Nai (MC, 1985, University of Delaware), is an associate scientist at the Center with a special interest in issues that impact older individuals and vulnerable adults. As a former mental health clinician and consultant, she has worked extensively with older clients and others who survived abuse and trauma. Current initiatives include the evaluation of the Delaware Department of Education DASH HIV/STD/Pregnancy Prevention Program, the school-based surveys, and the Strategic Prevention Framework, and in May 2016 she collaborated with Professional and Continuing Studies on UD’s first multidisciplinary elder abuse conference. Prior research includes employment among persons with disabilities, the legal needs of older individuals, and the social impact of brownfield remediation. Ms. Merriman-Nai is also the director of the Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly (CANE), an online database indexing research and resources on elder abuse and related issues, and serves as associate editor of the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect. A former co-manager of the National Center on Elder Abuse, she has been with the University of Delaware since 2001, working previously in the School of Public Policy and Administration Center for Community Research & Services.