Geri Spotlight: Danielle Taylor and Mike Steinman

Interviewed by Mike Steinman via Zoom

About Danielle’s Role/Ongoing Projects
In her role as Director of Operations for DCA, Danielle manages a team of staff and an intern. Their team was tasked with starting up DCA in mid-2022.

This project advances the Division’s mission of optimizing care of older adults through research and clinical care by promoting training and provider support for dementia screening across California.

Danielle’s favorite aspect of her role is managing the DCA team and working with subcontractors. She has enjoyed learning about the different players in the dementia care world and working together with them on DCA’s mission.

Prior to this role, Danielle worked for the City of San Francisco on its COVID response. Here she was able to indirectly touch on the needs of older adults, i.e. on homelessness care provision. However, her current role as Dir. of Operations is the first time she is engaging in work that directly supports older adults. She has been drawn to older adults in her family so it has been gratifying and passion-inducing to work on issues that affect them.

What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
As Danielle’s role is a contract position set to end by December 2024, her professional goal is to figure out what her next steps will be. She is also currently working towards her masters of Business Administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

More about Danielle
What is a fun fact about you that not many people know?
Danielle has never had a driver’s license. She enjoys public transit and has only driven a car twice. She grew up in the East Bay.

What are you happiest doing in your free time?
Danielle enjoys live music and traveling. She recently traveled to Europe which included stops in Italy and Berlin.

What would your backup career be?
Danielle has always been interested in helping people; she was a pre-med undergraduate, but the typical doctor expression of healthcare didn’t resonate with her. A dream job for her would be an event planner – something more frivolous and fun to exercise her skills.

What else would you like us to know about you?

• Danielle graduated undergrad with a degree in neuroscience. She has temporo-spatial synesthesia – this means time is very visual for her; for example days are an upside-down T and years occur in a circle. This way of thinking allows her to map things out visually in her head. This is one of the most common types of synesthesia. Her father has the same, but the ways they visualize time are different.
• Danielle takes a lot of pride in being a multigenerational Bay Area native.

Interviewed by Danielle Taylor via Zoom

About Mike’s Role/Ongoing Projects
Mike currently has numerous roles. He is a Co-Director of the Pepper Center and works on advancing aging research opportunities in the Division and across UCSF. He is also a Co-PI of the US Deprescribing Network. Additionally, he is working on general research about medication management for older adults. This work advances the Division’s mission by advancing the knowledge base and translation for improving medications in older adults.

This work also advances other peoples’ own career development as it helps to coach and support people who will go on to do great things. This is one of Mike’s favorite aspects of his job. He enjoys working with different people who are smart, passionate, and mission driven.

What is a professional goal you would like to accomplish by the end of this year?
Mike wants to continue to see research translate into clinical care that helps people and makes a difference.

More about Mike
What is a fun fact about you that not many people know?
When Mike’s kids were younger, he would play with their Legos. He has recently gotten into doing the New York Times crossword puzzle.