About
Zach Gassoumis, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Public Health within the Management, Policy, & Community Health department’s Community Health Practice program. He joined UTHealth Houston in fall 2025, from the University of Southern California. Dr. Gassoumis conducts research into various aspects of quality of life for older adults, with a primary focus on elder mistreatment, caregiving, and health, social, and protective services. His research aims to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable populations that tend to experience mistreatment at higher rates, including minoritized groups and persons living with dementia, through improving our understanding of population characteristics, intervention efficacy, innovative programs, and policy impacts. His most recent research projects have investigated service provision by adult protective services (APS), adult maltreatment multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), using technology and machine learning to enhance APS and MDT practices, elder mistreatment in people living with dementia, caregiver support interventions, and problematic substance use. Some past research topics have included mandated reporting of elder mistreatment, assessing the characteristics of recipients of home-and community-based services (HCBS), examining transitions from nursing homes to community-based care settings, and economic security of racial/ethnic minority groups. Dr. Gassoumis is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellow. He sits on various state and national advisory boards, including the National Center for State and Tribal Elder Justice Coalitions and the California Elder & Disability Justice Coordinating Council’s Adult Abuse Response workgroup.