Dr. Mary Patricia Sullivan
Dr. Sullivan’s other career highlights include her work to develop, deliver and evaluate geriatric mental health services in northern and eastern Ontario, heading social work at Brunel University London (UK), Executive Committee membership for the British Society of Gerontology, and the inaugural recipient of the Tilda Goldberg Social Work Research Fellowship (UK).
Areas of Specialization:
Dr. Sullivan’s principal research interests are focused on the social context of aging and older age including geriatric mental health, dementia care and support, social isolation and loneliness, elder abuse, and aging without children.
Current Awards:
A Realist Evaluation of Rare Dementia Support Canada (2024-2027)
Sullivan, M.P., Williams, V. (Nipissing University), Hoben, M. (York University), Crutch, S. (University College London), Tierney, S. (Oxford University), and Thornborrow, J. (Nipissing University)
Canadian Institute for Health Research, $746,080
Rare Dementia Support Canada (2022-2024)
Sullivan, M.P.
The Hiliary and Galen Weston Foundation, $400,000
Rare Dementia Support Canada: A collaborative evaluation of practice for sustainable delivery (2023-2024)
Sullivan, M.P. and Williams, V. (Nipissing University)
Ontario Brain Institute, $59,000
The Impact of Multicomponent Support Groups for those Living with Rare Dementias (2019-2024)
Crutch, S., Stott, J., Camic, P. (University College London), Windle, G., Tudor-Edwards, R., Hoare, Z. (Bangor University), Sullivan, M.P. (Nipissing University) and McKee-Jackson, R. (National Brain Appeal)
Economic and Social Research Council and National Institute for Health Research, £3.7million
(Selected Papers)
Rossi-Harries, S., Harrison, C., Camic, P., Sullivan, M.P., Grillo, A., Crutch, S. and Harding, E. (2024) 'Talking lines': Stories of diagnosis and support as told by those with lived experience of rarer forms of dementia. BMC Geriatrics, 24, 504. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-04988-1
Harding, E., Sullivan, M.P., Yong K.K., Camic, P., Stott, J. and Crutch, S. (2024) Exploring diagnostic differences in everyday activities – Home-based observations with people living with typical Alzheimer’s disease and posterior cortical atrophy. Journal of Aging Studies, 69, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2024.101226.
Sullivan, M.P., Camic, P.M., Harding, E., Stott, J., Windle, G., Brotherhood, E.V., Grillo, A. and Crutch, S. (2023) Situating support for people living with rarer forms of dementia. BMC Geriatrics, 23, 627. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04268-4
Roberts, J.R., MacLeod, C.A., Hoare, Z., Sullivan, M.P., Brotherhood, E., Stott, J. and Windle, G. (2023) Development of an item pool for a patient reported outcome measure of resilience for people living with dementia. Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes Research, 7, 96. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-023-00638-z
Windle, G., Roberts, J.R., MacLeod, C., Algar-Skaife, K., Sullivan, M.P., Brotherhood, E., Hedd Jones, C. and Stott, J. (2023) ‘I never bounced back’: Resilience and living with dementia. Aging and Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2023.2196248
Windle, G., MacLeod, C., Algar-Skaife, K., Stott, J., Waddington, C., Camic, P., Sullivan, M.P., Brotherhood, E. and Crutch, S. (2022) A systematic review and psychometric evaluation of resilience measurement scales for people living with dementia and their carers. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 22, 298. https//doi.org/10.1186/s12874-022-01747-x
Sullivan, M.P., Williams, V., Grillo, A., McKee-Jackson, R., Camic, P.M., Windle, G., Brotherhood, E., Stott, J. and Crutch, S.J. (2022) Peer support for people living with a rare or young onset dementia: An integrative review. Dementia The International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 21, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012221126368
Camic, P., Harding, E., Sullivan, M.P., Grillo, A., McKee-Jackson, R., Wilson, L., Zimmermann, N., Brotherhood, E.V. and Crutch S.J. (2022) Developing poetry as a research methodology with rarer forms of dementia: Four research protocols. International Methods of Qualitative Methods, 21, 1-9. https://doi: 10.1177/16094069221081377
O’Sullivan, R., Burns, A., Leavey, G., Leroi, I., Burholt, V., Lubben, J., Holt-Lunstad, J., Victor, C., Lawlor, B., Vilar-Compte, M., Perissinotto, C.M., Tully, M.A., Sullivan, M.P., Rosato, M., McHugh Power, J., Tillikainen, E. and Prohaska, T.R. (2021) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on loneliness and social isolation: A Multi-Country Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199982
Harding, E., Sullivan, M.P., Woodbridge, R., Yong, K.X.X., McIntyre, A., Gilhooly, M.L., Gilhooly, K.J., and Crutch, S.J. (2018) ‘Because my brain isn’t as active as it should be, my eyes don’t always see’: a qualitative exploration of the stress process for those living with posterior cortical atrophy. BMJ Open; 8:e018663. https://doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2017-018663
Sullivan, M.P., Victor, C.R., and Thomas M. (2016) Understanding and alleviating loneliness in later life: Perspectives of older people. Quality in Ageing and Older Age, 17 (3), 168-178. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-06-2015-0031
Woodbridge, R., Sullivan, M.P., Harding, E., Crutch, S., Gilhooly, K., Gilhooly, M., McIntyre, A., Wilson, L. (2016) Use of the physical environment to support everyday activities for people with dementia: A systematic review. Dementia the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 17 (5), 533-572. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301216648670
Gilhooly, K.J., Gilhooly, M., Sullivan, M.P., McIntyre, A., Wilson, L., Harding, E., Woodbridge, R., and Crutch, S. (2016) A meta-review of stress, coping and interventions in dementia and dementia caregiving. BMC Geriatrics, 18, 16. https://doi: 10.1186/s12877-016-0280-8
Ray, M., Milne, A., Beech, C., Richards, S., Sullivan, M.P., Tanner, D., Phillips, J. and Lloyd, L. (2015) Gerontological social work: Reflections on its role, purpose and value. British Journal of Social Work, 45 (4), 1296-1312. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct195
Richards, S., Sullivan, M.P., Tanner, D., Beech, C., Milne, A., Ray, M., Phillips, J. and Lloyd, L. (2014) On the edge of a new frontier: Is gerontological social work in the UK ready to meet 21st century challenges? British Journal of Social Work, 44 (8), 2307-2324. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct195
Al-Makhamreh, S. and Sullivan, M.P. (2012) Professionalizing social work in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: Processes and implications. European Journal of Social Work, 6 (4), 536-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2012.724385
Sullivan, M.P., Forrester, D. and Al-Makhamreh, S. (2010) What makes for effective trans-national social work collaboration? Reflections on an evaluation of a social work training workshop in Jordan. International Social Work, 53 (2), 217-232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872809355387
Sullivan, M.P. (2009) Social workers in community care practice: Ideologies and interactions with older people. British Journal of Social Work, 39 (7), 1306-1325. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcn059
Sullivan, M.P., Parenteau P., Dolansky D., Leon S., and LeClair J.K. (2007) Shared geriatric mental health care in a rural community. Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine, 12(1), 22-29.
Sullivan, M.P., Kessler L., Le Clair J.K., Stolee P. and Berta W. (2004) Defining best practices for specialty geriatric psychiatry outreach services: Lessons for implementing mental health reform. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 49(7), 458-466. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370404900707
(Selected Book Chapters)
Harding, E., Sullivan, M.P., Crutch, S. and Yong, K.X.X. (2021) Into the ordinary: Lessons learned from a mixed methods study in homes of people living with dementia. In P. Camic, J.E. Rhodes and L. Yardley (eds.) Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2nd Edition. Expanding Perspectives in Methodology and Design. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Victor, C.R. and Sullivan, M.P. (2015) Loneliness and isolation. In J. Twigg and W. Martin (Eds.) Handbook of Cultural Gerontology. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 261-268.
Al-Makhamreh, S. and Sullivan, M.P. (2013) Social work in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In M. Gray, J. Coates, M. Yellow Bird and T. Hetherington (eds.) Decolonizing Social Work. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing.