Dylan J. Jester, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Jester is a Research Statistician and Investigator for the Women’s Operational Military Exposure Network Center of Excellence (WOMEN CoE) at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He is a Gerontologist and Social Epidemiologist with training in geriatric mental health, cognitive aging, and health services research. He completed a Ph.D. (Aging Studies) and M.P.H. (Epidemiology) at the University of South Florida and a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship (Geriatric Mental Health) at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Dr. Jester has over 50 academic journal publications. His research is focused on how social determinants of health and structural inequities impact cognition and mental health in adults and older adults, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Another facet of his work examines nursing home staffing deficits, quality of care disparities in long-term care settings, and adverse health outcomes for vulnerable nursing home residents exposed to natural disasters.
Dr. Jester uses his diverse training in gerontology, public health, and statistics to tackle modern problems within the VA system, such as determining the impact of military environmental exposures (MEE) on health outcomes for military servicemembers, quantifying health disparities borne by women Veterans, and testing novel treatments for Veterans with complex medical histories (e.g., traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, Gulf War Illness). Trainees interested in gaining practical skills in epidemiology and/or statistics should reach out by email: Dylan.Jester@va.gov
