Peter Maramaldi, PhD, MPhil, LCSW, MPH is a Professor at the Simmons University School of Social Work with faculty appointments at the Harvard University T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology. Dr. Maramaldi’s expertise in gerontology, evidence-based health promotion, interprofessional teaming, and integrated healthcare delivery has made him a leader in the field of behavioral health. His teaching, research and consultation services are informed by his 30 years of practice, community organizing, and research experience with diverse populations in urban and rural residential and community-based settings.
Dr. Maramaldi’s clinical experience is wide ranging with pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations. He has worked in services for: caregivers, elders, assistance for children and families, victims of human trafficking, post-adoption programing and services, in-home biopsychosocial assessment and treatment planning, hospital-based psychosocial services, conflict resolution and mediation, quality improvement initiatives, non-profit management and fundraising.
His cross-cultural acumen is exceptional. Dr. Maramaldi spent 16 years in residence at the International House in New York City, which is a unique institution founded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1924 to promote international understanding among emerging world leaders. First as a select group of graduate student residents, and then upon graduation Dr. Maramaldi was retained to develop and deliver the institution’s first cross-cultural mental health and mediation services for over 700 graduate researchers, students and trainees representing more than 100 countries.
In research Dr. Maramaldi has had consistent NIH and foundation funding. He collaborates extensively with national teams of researchers addressing social and behavioral determinants of health with patients, caregivers and the healthcare workforce. He has conducted applied research in a range of settings including long-term care facilities, community and hospital-based health and mental health settings, and innovative dental services. His studies include promoting cancer screening, addressing health disparities, testing intervention models using randomized clinical trials, developing and taking to scale quality improvement approaches using behavioral interventions, and adopting safety models from the aviation industry to develop cultures of quality to eliminate errors in outpatient dental treatment and surgery. Recent national work, based at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, investigates how healthcare teams are structured to deliver high quality care to frail elders in the community with specific interest in the cost implications of various team models. He has recently developed and delivered learning collaboratives and webinars for the National Center for Equitable Care for Elders based at Harvard University.
Dr. Maramaldi is the recipient of several national career development and mentoring awards in the areas of oncology and gerontology. During the Obama Administration, he was among a select group of social workers invited to participate in a White House Briefing on the Affordable Care Act. More recently he was named an expert participant for a Congressional Briefing on the future of the healthcare workforce to improve care for the Nation’s aging adult population. He serves on numerous national boards, committees and special work groups.
Dr. Maramaldi is a first-generation college graduate completing his undergraduate training at Montclair State University in New Jersey while working full-time as a United Auto Worker. From there he completed his MSSW, MPH, MPhil, PhD Degrees at Columbia University in New York City. In addition to his social work and public health training, he also completed highly advanced training in cross-cultural conflict resolution and psychological anthropology in Teachers College at Columbia University. Dr. Maramaldi has also completed an advanced management certificate program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and more recently a certificate in mediation through the Program on Negotiation at the Harvard Law School. He maintains an active clinical social work license through New York State.
What I Teach
Dr. Maramaldi’s teaching and training interests span several professions with a common thread of teaching approaches to improving the health and well-being of patients and families. His primary focus has always been on what we know call the social determinants of health. Dr. Maramaldi’s teaching philosophy tailors learning experiences to cohorts and individuals by creating a safe environment. His goal is to create training, classroom and on-line learning platforms that enable learners to take risks, employ new ideas, infuse issues of diversity and social justice, and to learn from—and with—each other. Dr. Maramaldi believes that it is important to stay attuned adult learning is evolving and how people perceive their learning environment. He takes a reflective stance that allows for pedagogical corrections, and to do whatever is needed for people to learn.
Publications
Selected Publications
Borstelmann, N., Rosenberg, S., Gelber, S., Zheng, Y., Meyer, M., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V., Cadet, T., Maramaldi, P., Partridge, A. H. (2020). Partners of young breast cancer survivors: A cross-sectional evaluation of psychosocial concerns, coping, and mental health. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. 38(6):670-686. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2020.1823546. Epub 2020 Oct 1.
Berrett-Abebe, J., Donelan, K., Berkman, B., Maramaldi, P. (2019). Physician and nurse practitioner perceptions of social worker and community health worker roles in primary care practices caring for frail elders: Insights for social work. Social Work in Healthcare 59(4):1-15 DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2019.1695703
Maramaldi, P., Cadet, T., Burke, S.L., LeCLoux, M., White, E., Kinnunen, T., Kalendarian, E. (2018) Oral health and cancer screening in long-term care nursing facilities: Motivation and opportunity as intervention targets. Gerontology. DOI: 10.1111/ger.12365 Berrett-Abebe, J., Cadet, T., Nekhlyudov, L., Vitello, J., Maramaldi, P. (2018) Impact of an Interprofessional Primary Care Training on Fear of Cancer Recurrence on Clinicians’ Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, Anticipated Practice Behaviors, and Attitudes Toward Survivorship Care. Journal of Cancer Education. DOI: 10.1007/s13187-018-1331-y Browne, T., Keefe, R., Ruth, B., Cox, H., Maramaldi, P., Rishel, C., Rountree, M., Zlotnik, J., Marshall, J. (2017). Advancing Social Work Education for Health Impact. American Journal of Public Health. 107. S229-S235. 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304054.
Lecloux, M., Maramaldi, P., Thomas, K., Wharff, E. (2017). A Longitudinal Study of Health Care Resources, Family Support, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Suicidal Adolescents. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy. 17.10.1111/asap.12139.
Burke, S., Cadet, T., Alcide, A., O'Driscoll, J., Maramaldi, P. (2017). Psychosocial risk factors and Alzheimer's disease: The associative effect of depression, sleep disturbance, and anxiety. Aging and Mental Health. 10.1080/13607863.2017.1387760.
Maramaldi, P., Cadet, T., Burke, S.L., LeCLoux, M., White, E., Kinnunen, T., Kalendarian, E., (2017). Administrators’ Perceptions of Oral Health Care and Cancer Screening Barriers In Long-Term Care Nursing Facilities. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 073346481773251. 10.1177/0733464817732517
Kalenderian, E., Obadan-Udoh, E., Maramaldi, P., Etolue , J, Yansane, A., Stewart, D., White, J., Vaderhobli, R., Kent, K., Hebballi, H.B., Delattre, V., Kahn, M., Tokede, O., Ramoni, R.B., Walji, M.F. (2017). Classifying Adverse Events in the Dental Office Journal of Patient Safety. 1. 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000407. PMID: 28671915.
Burke, S.L., Maramaldi, P., Cadet, T., Kukull, W. (2017). Decreasing hazards of Alzheimer's disease with the use of antidepressants: mitigating the risk of depression and apolipoprotein E. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry PMID: 28560728.
Borstelman, N. A., Rosenberg, S.M., Gelber, S. I., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Borges, V. F., Cadet, T., Maramaldi, P., Partridge, A. H., (2017). Partners of Young Breast Cancer Survivors: A cross-sectional evaluation of psychosocial issues and mental health. Journal of Clinical Oncology 35(5_suppl):184-184.
Burke, S. & Maramaldi, P. (2017). Variability in Clinical and Anatomical Manifestation of Velocardiofacial Syndrome Presents Diagnostic and Policy Uncertainty. Fetal & Pediatric Pathology, 36(5), 33-41.
Kalenderian E., Maramaldi P., Kim S, Etolue J., McClellan L., et al., (2016). Strategic Shift to a Diagnostic Model of Care in a Multi-Site Group Dental Practice, International Journal of Dentistry and Oral Health 2(6): doi http://dx.doi.org/10.16966/2378-7090.209
Brown, J., Hamilton-Mason, J., Maramaldi, P., Barnhill, J. (2016). Exploring Perspectives of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Histories of Challenging Behaviors about Family Relationships: An Emergent Topic in a Grounded Theory Focus Group Study. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 9. 1-24. 10.1080/19315864.2016.1181813.
Maramaldi, P., Walji, M., White, J., Etoulu, J., Kahn, M. Vaderhobli, R., Kwatra, J., Delattre, V., Hebballi, N., Stewart, D., Kent, K., Yansane, A., Ramoni, R. Kalenderian, E. (2016). How dental team members describe adverse events. Journal of the American Dental Association. 147(10):803-11. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2016.04.015
Burke, S., Maramaldi, P., Cadet, T., & Kukull, W. (2016). The interaction between depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance and APOE genotype in progression to Alzheimer’s disease dementia. International Psychogeriatrics, Sep;28(9):1409-24. doi: 10.1017/S1041610216000405. Epub 2016 Mar 29.
Walters, K. L., Spencer, M. S., Smukler, M., Heidi L. Allen, H. C., Andrews, C., Browne, T., Maramaldi, P., Wheeler, D. P., Zebrack, B., & Uehara, E. (2016) Health equity: Eradicating health inequalities for future generations. (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
Cadet, T, Berrett-Abebe, J., Burke, S., Bakk, L., Kalenderian, E., & Maramaldi, P. (2016). Evidence-based health promotion in nursing homes: A pilot intervention to improve oral health. Educational Gerontology, 42(5):352-360.
Selected Conference Presentation
| Nov 2019 | Optimal Staffing Models to Care for Frail Elderly Adults in Primary Care and Geriatric Practices. Symposium at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, Autsin, TX. |
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National Learning Collaboratives and Webinars
| March - April 2018 | Social determinants of health in primary care and long-term care populations of older adults with multiple chronic conditions, March - April 2019. |
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| April 2019 | Identifying and addressing adverse interpersonal relationships (elder abuse and neglect) in community-dwelling primary care populations of older adults. |
| April - May 2019 | Social isolation and loneliness in community-dwelling primary care populations of older adults. |
| November 2020 | Social isolation and loneliness during COVID-19 pandemic—focus on older adults. |
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- Research Commission Council of Social Work Education - Commissioner - 2010-Present
- Director of the Simmons' Interdisciplinary MSW, PhD/MPH Initiative, Simmons School of Social Work with the Harvard School of Public Health
- Doctoral Program Director, Simmons School of Social Work
- Massachusetts General Hospital - Senior Social Work Scientist 2007-2009, Research Associate 2006-2007
- International House - Clinical Consultant for Cross-Cultural Counseling 2001-Present
- Resident Social Worker for Cross-Cultural Clinical Services 1986-2001
- Harvard School of Public Health - Maternal and Child Health Federal Training Grant Advisory Board
- Research Commission Council of Social Work Education - Commissioner
- American Cancer Society - National Advisor/ Consultant to Doctoral Training Grantees
- Gerontological Society of America - Peer Reviewer in Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Lance Armstrong Foundation - Scientific Expert Reviewer,
- John A. Hartford Foundation - National Social Work Mentor
- International House New York - Council of World Alumni Members