Olga Jarrín, PhD, RN
Hunterdon Professor of Nursing Research
Associate Professor, Division of Nursing Science
Director, Multicultural Nurse Leadership Institute
Director, Community Health and Aging Outcomes Lab; Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research
Lead, Workforce Development, New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science
Olga F. Jarrín Montaner, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a nurse scientist whose research examines how home health and community-based care systems shape late-life outcomes and equity for older adults, particularly people living with dementia. She is the Hunterdon Professor of Nursing Research and an Associate Professor in the Division of Nursing Science at Rutgers School of Nursing, where she directs the Community Health and Aging Outcomes Laboratory and the Multicultural Nurse Leadership Institute. Dr. Jarrín Montaner is also a core member of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and leads Workforce Development for the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science.
Her NIH-funded research program uses large Medicare and survey datasets to understand how patterns of home health, hospice, and other home- and community-based services influence place of care, place of death, and quality of end-of-life care. She develops and applies novel data infrastructures—including national care-setting and cognitive-trajectory files and improved race and ethnicity measures—to examine how health system factors and social and environmental conditions contribute to differences in dementia diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. As principal investigator and co-investigator on multiple National Institute on Aging awards, she leads interdisciplinary teams focused on “upstream” interventions that improve dementia care and support aging in the community.
Dr. Jarrín Montaner is nationally recognized for her leadership in gerontological nursing, health services research, and efforts to advance equity in aging and dementia care. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing, and a recipient of honors including the Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NJ Chapter) and the Marlene Kramer Outstanding Alumni Award for Research in Nursing from the University of Connecticut. She serves on national and international boards and study sections, including as a standing member of the AHRQ Healthcare Safety Quality Improvement Research Study Section and as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Home Care Nurses Organization.
Through the Multicultural Nurse Leadership Institute and her roles in NJ ACTS, Dr. Jarrín Montaner mentors a diverse pipeline of nursing, public health, and interdisciplinary trainees and early-career faculty whose work advances aging, dementia care, and community health. Her teaching and mentorship span undergraduate honors, PhD, and postdoctoral levels, and many of her mentees have gone on to secure competitive NIH and foundation awards and leadership positions in academia, clinical practice, and public health.