Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD, is a University Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean, and co-director of the Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has conducted groundbreaking research and intervention studies in nursing homes and assisted living communities, and served as a clinician in a range of long-term care settings. Dr. Zimmerman is past chair of the Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section of the Gerontological Society of America, has published more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, and is the national leader in nursing home and assisted living research. Dr. Zimmerman is Co-Editor-in-Chief of JAMDA: The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.