By Samantha Wirth
For Lauren Gil Hayes, LCSW, LISW, CGP, social work underscored her passion for supporting and serving others, especially those at their most vulnerable moments. That commitment has guided her professional path and now places her among a select group of doctoral students nationwide chosen for the Health Policy Research Scholars program. The program is a four-year leadership development program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health philanthropy in America. The program provides full-time doctoral students with financial support and educational training, giving them the resources to advance health equity within their communities.
A path shaped by empathy and impact
Gil Hayes’ journey to the School of Social Work in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was rooted in a desire to help people in meaningful ways. “I wanted to go where I could make the most impact,” she said. Before pursuing a career in social work, she dedicated herself to youth work, working as a teacher and with a nonprofit.
Gil Hayes earned a BA in political science from the University of Central Florida before pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of Chicago, where she developed an interest in aging after learning about the lack of young people entering the profession.
Choosing Iowa and the School of Social Work
When Gil Hayes decided to pursue her PhD, she was drawn to the University of Iowa School of Social Work for a variety of reasons, including the program’s flexibility and the possibility to collaborate with individuals from other disciplines, such as those in the College of Nursing. “There’s a lot of folks at Iowa who care about aging and doing aging well,” Gil Hayes said.
At Iowa, Gil Hayes’ research focuses on family estrangement, loneliness, caregiving, and ambiguous loss-of-life.
“I’m really interested in how we take care of those who are particularly vulnerable and isolated,” she said.
Gil Hayes noted that for those without close friends and family, navigating end of life decisions can be especially challenging, as the existence of a designated caregiver is often a requirement for enrolling in hospice care.
A supportive research home for practice-informed scholarship
A unique aspect of the Health Policy Research Scholars program is the opportunity to connect a member’s lived experiences with those of the communities they serve. “The HPRS program felt like a natural fit to me as I’d be able to catalyze the experiences that I’ve lived through to inform the research I do,” she said.
Throughout her career, Gil Hayes has worked as an end-of-life doula, a caregiver, and a grief therapist. Inspired by her own personal experiences with grief, Gil Hayes wanted to make the grieving process more comfortable and manageable for others.
Gil Hayes also credits the School of Social Work faculty—particularly her advisor May Guo and committee member Mercedes Bern-Klug—with fostering an environment of trust and encouragement.
“I’ve had a lot of freedom, a lot of support, and a lot of encouragement to explore new angles of aging research,” she said. “That kind of support makes a huge difference as a PhD student.”
Gil Hayes looks forward to networking with her program's cohort and continuing to learn more about hospice programs that serve previously unhoused individuals, quantifying emergency response numbers for aging-related scenarios, and vigil sitting programs that provide comfort to those without immediate friends and family. She also aims to get more young people interested in the field of aging, having recently taught an undergraduate class at Iowa.
“I'm trying to get as many young folks interested in this workforce, because aging affects every single discipline—there isn't a single discipline that aging isn't going to impact in the one way or the other,” Gil Hayes said.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article omitted the first part of Lauren Gil Hayes' surname in its subsequent mentions. This article was updated on Monday, Feb. 2, to accurately depict her full surname in all references.