Theresa Allison, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Professor of Family & Community Medicine, Medical Director, Home Based Primary Care, San Francisco VA Health Care System, Geriatrician, SFVAMC

Division of Geriatrics

Theresa A. Allison, MD, M. Music, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics, with a secondary appointment in Family and Community Medicine. She completed both the MD and PhD (Musicology) through the University of Illinois Medical Scholars Program. She completed family practice residency and geriatric fellowship training at UCSF. Dr. Allison’s research sits at the intersection of music, well-being, dementia and relationships, bridging the medical humanities and health sciences. Her research areas include the impact of music on well-being among diverse older adults living with and without dementia across nursing home and community settings. She provides Geriatrics inpatient care in the San Francisco VA Health Care System.

Education
2023 - CTSI K Scholars Program, University of California
2018 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training, University of California
Ph.D., 2010 - Musicology, University of Illinois
2006 - Geriatric Medicine, University of California
2005 - Family and Community Medicine, University of California
M.D., 2002 - Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago
Honors and Awards
  • Medical Student Training in Aging Research Best Research Mentor Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2020
  • Teacher of the Year, UCSF Division of Geriatrics, 2016
  • Special Contribution Award, Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013
  • Superstar Award, Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013
  • New Investigator Award, American Geriatrics Society, 2011
  • Ida Halpern Award for Research in Native American Music, Society for Ethnomusicology, 2001
Publications

  1. Kotwal AA, Allison TA, Halim M, Garrett SB, Perissinotto CM, Ritchie CS, Smith AK, Harrison KL. "Relationships, Very Quickly, Turn to Nothing": Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Adaptation to Changing Social Lives Among Persons Living With Dementia and Care Partners. The Gerontologist 2024. PMID: 38499400


  2. Allison TA, Stephens CE, Kotwal AA. Supporting technology access for older adults through in-home, intergenerational involvement: The case for ethnographic methods and student service-learning courses. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2024. PMID: 38497805


  3. Allison TA, Gubner JM, Harrison KL, Smith AK, Barnes DE, Covinsky KE, Yaffe K, Johnson JK. Music engagement as part of everyday life in dementia caregiving relationships at home. The Gerontologist 2023. PMID: 38158775


  4. Newmark RL, Allison TA, Smith AK, Perissinotto CM, Tha SH, Kotwal AA. The Role of Digital Technologies in Facilitating Psychosocial Resilience to Sudden Social Isolation Among Older Adults: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society 2023. PMID: 37536316


  5. Stephens CE, Allison TA, Flint LA, David D, Wertz V, Halifax E, Barrientos P, Ritchie CS. Assessing Technical Feasibility and Acceptability of Telehealth Palliative Care in Nursing Homes. Palliative medicine reports 2022. PMID: 36059909


  6. Lee S, Allison T, O'Neill D, Punch P, Helitzer E, Moss H. Integrative review of singing and music interventions for family carers of people living with dementia. TO REMOVE 2022. PMID: 35417003


  7. Harrison KL, Garrett SB, Halim M, Sideman AB, Allison TA, Dohan D, Naasan G, Miller BL, Smith AK, Ritchie CS. "I Didn't Sign Up for This": Perspectives from Persons Living with Dementia and Care Partners on Challenges, Supports, and Opportunities to Add Geriatric Neuropalliative Care to Dementia Specialty Care. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD 2022. PMID: 36245375


  8. Allison TA, Gubner JM, Oh A, Harrison KL, Pham K, Barnes DE, Johnson JK, Covinsky KE, Smith AK. Meaningful Activities and Sources of Meaning for Community-Dwelling People Living with Dementia. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2021. PMID: 34481793


  9. Oh A, Allison TA, Mahoney K, Thompson N, Ritchie CS, Sudore RL, Harrison KL. Front-Line Hospice Staff Perceptions of Barriers and Opportunities to Discussing Advance Care Planning With Hospice Patients and Their Families. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2021. PMID: 34391713


  10. Oh A, Gan S, Boscardin WJ, Allison TA, Barnes DE, Covinsky KE, Smith AK. Engagement in Meaningful Activities Among Older Adults With Disability, Dementia, and Depression. JAMA internal medicine 2021. PMID: 33492334


  11. Cheng MKW, Allison TA, McSteen BW, Cattle CJ, Lo DT. The Adoption of Video Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic by VA Home Based Primary Care. TO REMOVE 2020. PMID: 33284996


  12. Allison TA, Oh A, Harrison KL. Extreme Vulnerability of Home Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Call to Action. JAMA internal medicine 2020. PMID: 32749452


  13. Allison TA, Nápoles AM, Johnson JK, Stewart AL, Rodriguez-Salazar M, Peringer J, Sherman S, Ortez-Alfaro J, Villero O, Portacolone E. Multi-cultural perspectives on group singing among diverse older adults. Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.) 2020. PMID: 32778434


  14. Gubner J, Smith AK, Allison TA. Transforming Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Dementia through Music and Filmmaking. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2020. PMID: 32372442


  15. Harrison KL, Allison TA, Garrett SB, Thompson N, Sudore RL, Ritchie CS. Hospice Staff Perspectives on Caring for People with Dementia: A Multisite, Multistakeholder Study. Journal of palliative medicine 2020. PMID: 32130076


  16. Allison TA, Smith AK. "Now I write songs": Growth and Reciprocity After Long-Term Nursing Home Placement. The Gerontologist 2019. PMID: 31112596


  17. Oh A, Smith AK, Allison TA. Key Ingredients of an Ideal System for High-Quality Community Care for Persons With Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2019. PMID: 31868915


  18. Allison TA, Balbino RT, Covinsky KE. Caring community and relationship centred care on an end-stage dementia special care unit. Age and ageing 2019. PMID: 31220199


  19. Win AZ, Ceresa C, Arnold K, Allison TA. High Prevalence of Malnutrition among Elderly Veterans in Home Based Primary Care. Volume 21 of Issue 6. The journal of nutrition, health & aging 2017. PMID: 28537323


  20. Allison TA, Cohen JM, Reed DB. Journal of Folklore Research, guest-edited by TA Allison, JM Cohen and DB Reed Introduction: Toward common cause: Music, team science and global health. 2017. PMID:


  21. Romo RD, Allison TA, Smith AK, Wallhagen MI. Sense of Control in End-of-Life Decision-Making. Volume 65 of Issue 3. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2016. PMID: 28029695


  22. Johnson JK, Nápoles AM, Stewart AL, Max WB, Santoyo-Olsson J, Freyre R, Allison TA, Gregorich SE. Study protocol for a cluster randomized trial of the Community of Voices choir intervention to promote the health and well-being of diverse older adults. Volume 15. BMC public health 2015. PMID: 26463176


  23. Allison TA. This Thing Called Music. V Levine and P Bohlman (Eds.) Recording the Life Review: A Case Study from the Medical Humanities 2015. PMID:


  24. Allison TA. In Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Geriatrics. CS Landefeld, B Williams and A Chang (Eds.) Long-Term Care, Nursing Home and Rehabilitation 2014. PMID:


  25. Allison TA, Sudore RL. Disregard of patients' preferences is a medical error: comment on "Failure to engage hospitalized elderly patients and their families in advance care planning". Volume 173 of Issue 9. JAMA internal medicine 2013. PMID: 23545699


  26. Allison TA. Ethnomusicology Book review: The Culture of AIDS in Africa: Hope and Healing through Music and the Arts 2013. PMID:


  27. . The nursing home as village: lessons from ethnomusicology Journal of Aging, Humanities and the Arts 2010. PMID:


  28. Allison TA. Transcending the Limitations of Institutionalized Aging Through Music: Ethnomusicology in the Nursing Home. PhD dissertation Transcending the Limitations of Institutionalized Aging Through Music: Ethnomusicology in the Nursing Home. PhD dissertation. 2010. PMID:


  29. Allison TA. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Ethnomusicology, Koen B, Barz G and Brummel-Smith K, Eds Songwriting and transcending institutional boundaries in the nursing home 2008. PMID: