About
Zach Gassoumis, PhD, studies how research, data, and innovation can improve the systems that protect and support vulnerable older adults. His work focuses on elder mistreatment, caregiving, and the health, social, and protective services that shape older adults’ safety, autonomy, and quality of life. Dr. Gassoumis’ research bridges academic inquiry and real-world practice. His current work examines service provision by adult protective services (APS); uses machine learning to strengthen APS practice and decisions about referral to adult maltreatment multidisciplinary teams (MDTs); links and analyzes data from APS, healthcare, social service, and other sources to generate insights about elder mistreatment; develops and evaluates interventions for caregivers and older adults; and studies mistreatment and vulnerability among people living with dementia and other understudied populations. His broader research has addressed mandated reporting, home- and community-based services (HCBS), transitions from nursing homes to community settings, problematic substance use, and economic security. At its core, Dr. Gassoumis’ research aims to build knowledge about mistreatment and other challenges faced by vulnerable adults, while strengthening service system responses intended to improve their health and quality of life. In 2025, Dr. Gassoumis joined the School of Public Health’s Department of Management, Policy, & Community Health (primary track: Community Health Practice), after many years at the University of Southern California. At UTHealth Houston, he is a core faculty member of the Institute on Aging and MPI/co-director of the Roybal Center for Elder Mistreatment Intervention Research. He is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellow. He advises several state and national elder justice initiatives and serves on the Region 6 APS Advisory Board, supporting APS workers and clients in 13 counties across Southeast Texas.
Center Affiliation
- Institute on Aging
- Center for Healthcare Data
- Center for Healthy Communities
Research Interests
- Aging / Gerontology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biostatistics and Data Science
- Community Health
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
- Epidemiology
- Health Services / Outcomes Research
- Injury and Violence
- Population Health
- Program Evaluation
- Social Determinants of Health
- Substance Use