Faculty Directory

Christina Matz

Associate Professor

Chair, Older Adults & Families Department

Director, Center on Aging & Work

Photo of Christina Matz

Christina Matz

Ph.D.

Contact

McGuinn Hall 203

Telephone: 617-552-1634

Email: christina.matz@bc.edu

ORCID

Education

  • B.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • M.S.W., 艾可直播 College
  • Ph.D., 艾可直播 College

Research Interests

Social and productive engagement (e.g., work, volunteering, caregiving, informal helping, etc.) in later life, healthy aging, meaning and purpose in life, intervention research, daily life methods (e.g., Ecological Momentary Assessment), use of technology interventions with older adults

Expertise

  • Aging
  • Social and Economic Inclusion
  • Innovations in Research Methods
  • Health
  • Evaluation
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Stress and Health at the Workplace
CV or Resume

Profile

Christina Matz, MSW, PhD, FGSA, is an Associate Professor in the 艾可直播 College School of Social Work, Chair of the Older Adults & Families Department and Director of the Center on Aging & Work. Her research focuses on meaningful engagement in later-life and its effects on the health and well-being of individuals, families, organizations, communities, and society. She is a co-lead on the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare's Grand Challenge focused on 鈥淎dvancing Long and Productive Lives鈥� and a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

Funded by a National Institute on Aging P30 pilot grant with the 艾可直播 Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions, Dr. Matz developed and pilot-tested (RCT) a behavioral intervention (called Engaged4Life) designed to encourage community-dwelling older adults to embed physical activity, cognitive activity, and social interaction into their everyday lives in contexts that are personally meaningful via technology-assisted self-monitoring of activity levels, psycho-education, goal setting, and peer support.

Dr. Matz has co-authored more than 50 journal articles and book chapters. In 2018, one of her publications won the MatherLifeWays Institute on Aging Innovative Research on Aging Silver Award and in 2014, another publication was awarded the AARC/MECD Patricia B. Elmore Award for Outstanding Research in Measurement and Evaluation.

Dr. Matz was a John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar (2012-2014), an Early Career Work and Family Scholar (2013-2014), and earned acceptance into the National Institute on Aging-funded Institute on Aging and Social Work (2012-2014).

She teaches courses in research methods, statistics, program evaluation and aging. In 2017, she won the Teaching Excellence Award and Mentor of the Year award in the 艾可直播 College School of Social Work. She has facilitated working partnerships with several 艾可直播-area community organizations and serves as a consultant or advisor for projects national and internationally.

Selected Publications

Matz, C. & James, J.B. (in press). Aging, work, and retirement. In B. P. Yochim & E. L. Woodhead (Eds.), Psychology of Aging: A Biopsychosocial Perspective, 2nd Ed. Springer Publishing Company.

Jason, K. & Matz, C. (2024, February 14). Intersectional Perspectives to Health and Work in Later Life. Generations.

Matz, C. (2023). Balancing acts: Older caregivers in the workforce amidst COVID-19 challenges (report). Center on Aging & Work at 艾可直播 College School of Social Work.聽聽

Matz, C. (2023, July). Consider these four challenges to expand the narrative beyond 鈥渨orking longer.鈥� AARP International, Future of Work, Five Megatrends Shaping the Future of Work: Longevity.聽

Diaz-Valdes, A., Matz, C., Rutledge, M.S., & Calvo, E. (2023). Determinants of Hispanic and non-Hispanic workers鈥� intent to work past age 65: An analysis from the life course perspective. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 0(0). doi:10.1177/00914150231196095

Carr, D.; Matz, C.; Taylor, M.; & Gonzales, E. (2021). Retirement transitions in the US: Patterns and pathways from full-time work. Public Policy & Aging Report, 31(3), 71鈥�77. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prab013

Matz, C., Sabbath, E. & James, J. (2020). An integrative conceptual framework of engagement in socially-productive activity in later life: Implications for clinical and mezzo social work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal [special issue on productive aging], 48, 156鈥�168.

Matz-Costa, C., Howard, E., Sceppa, C., Dias-Valdes, A., & Lachman, M. (2019). Peer-based strategies to support physical activity interventions for older adults: A typology, conceptual framework, and practice guidelines. The Gerontologist, 59(6), 1007-1016. doi: 10.1093/geront/gny092聽

Matz-Costa, C., Berzin, S., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Halvorsen, C. (2019). Perceptions of the meaningfulness of work among older social purpose workers: An Ecological Momentary Assessment study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 38(8), 1121鈥�1146. DOI: 10.1177/0733464817727109聽

Ludlow, L., Matz-Costa, C., & Klein, K. (2019). Enhancement and validation of the Productive Engagement Portfolio-Scenario (PEP-S8) Scales. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 52(1), 15-37.

Matz-Costa, C., Lubben, J. E., Lachman, M., Lee, H. N., & Choi, Y. J. (2018). A pilot randomized trial of an intervention to enhance the health-promoting effects of older adults' activity portfolios: The Engaged4Life Program. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 61(8), 792-816.

Selected Grants

Financial Resilience Thought Leadership at AARP
Co-Principal Investigator (with C. Halvorsen)
Dates: 6/2023-12/2023
Project title: Shining a Light on Marginalized Older Workers in the Wake of COVID-19

City of 艾可直播鈥檚 Agestrong Commission
Principal Investigator
Dates: 2023-2024
Project title: Developing a Workforce of Individuals with Lived Experience of Aging with Behavioral Health Challenges: A Certified Older Adult Peer Support Specialist Training Institute

Teaching, Advising and Mentoring Grant
Co-Principal Investigator (PI: T. O鈥橩eefe),
Dates: 2023-2024
Project title: Advancing the 艾可直播 College LAMP Portfolio: Tools for Measuring the Impact of Formative Education (Other Co-PIs: H. Braun and L. Ludlow)

Spier Family Foundation Grant
Project Director
2022-2026
Project title: Masters in Social Work (MSW) Fellowship/Enrichment Program in Aging at 艾可直播 College: Renewal and Expansion

R01, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH/NIMHD 1R01MD015729-01A1)
Co-Investigator (PI鈥檚: R. Levine Coley & S. Teixeira)
Dates: 2021鈥�2026
Project title: Targeting Health Disparities through Housing Redevelopment: A Natural Experiment of Housing Quality, Stability, and Economic Integration.

Spier Family Foundation Grant
Project Director
Dates: 2022-2024
Project title: Interdisciplinary Palliative and Serious Illness Care Initiative at 艾可直播 College

Selected Appointments & Awards

Fellow, Gerontological Society of America (GSA), Social Research, Policy and Practice section (2019)

MatherLifeWays Institute on Aging Innovative Research on Aging Award, Silver Award Recipient (2018)

Teaching Excellence Award, 艾可直播 College School of Social Work (2017-2018)

Mentor of the Year, Doctoral Program, 艾可直播 College School of Social Work (2016-2017)

Scholarship Excellence Award, 艾可直播 College School of Social Work (2016-2017)

AARC/MECD Patricia B. Elmore Award for Outstanding Research in Measurement and Evaluation (2014)

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