Marc Cohen1

Clinical Professor of Gerontology and Co-Director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, University of Massachusetts Boston
Marc A. Cohen, Ph.D. is a Professor of Gerontology at UMass Boston. In his role at UMass, Dr. Cohen is the Co-Director of the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and he also serves as a Research Director at the Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst. Prior to joining UMass in the fall of 2016, Dr. Cohen served as the Chief Research and Development Officer and former President and co-founder of LifePlans, Inc., a long-term care research and risk management company that works with both the public and private sector on issues related to the financing and delivery of long-term care.
Over his 25 year career, Dr. Cohen has conducted extensive research and analysis on a variety of public policy issues affecting the financing and delivery of long-term care services and has promoted public-private partnerships in helping to address the nation’s challenges. Dr. Cohen has testified before Congress, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and other organizations on issues related to long-term care financing and private insurance. He served on Governor Deval Patrick’s Task Force on Long-Term Care Financing for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, was a member of the Steering Committee of the Long-Term Care Financing Collaborative, which published its recommendations for improving the nation’s financing of long-term care, and most recently served as a working group chair for a National Academy of Social Insurance Study panel on Designing a State-Based Social Insurance Program for Long-Term Services and Supports and Co-Chair of a study panel on Designing Universal Family Care.

He has served on numerous task forces focused on the financial challenge presented by an aging population. Over the years, his work has been quoted extensively and he has been interviewed by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine as a thought-leader on issues affecting elder care financing. Dr. Cohen received his Ph.D. from the Heller School at Brandeis University and his Master’s Degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.