Cinnamon St. John, MPA, MA
2019-2020 Health and Aging Policy Fellow through the American Political Science Association (APSA):

Cinnamon is the Associate Director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing (HIGN) at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She designs and manages programs that focus on ensuring optimal health and quality of life for older adults through interprofessional and patient education. Her work at HIGN has helped train over 2,000 Bronx seniors on wellness and disease self-management has strengthened collaboration between a major NYC health system and community-based organizations, and has driven the national and international dissemination of elder care training modules. She has also led the development of a strategic partnership between HIGN and a New York-based long-term care provider as part of the state’s “Workforce Investment Organization” (WIO) initiative. This program is helping to build and support a robust training infrastructure that will enhance the skills and advancement opportunities of long-term care workers in the region. Prior to this placement, she was with the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in the office of Chairman Susan Collins (R-Maine). For the Committee, Cinnamon helped inform policy and drive the oversight of legislation focused on improving the support infrastructure for older Americans, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s Disease.

As a former journalist, Cinnamon is passionate about increasing public awareness of the needs of older adults, the challenges that our society is facing in addressing those needs, and the opportunities we have to improve how we care for our aging population. Cinnamon has received a Master’s of Public Administration from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College London.

Toby S. Edelman, Ed. M., JD
Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy:

Toby S. Edelman has been representing older people in long-term care facilities since 1977. As a Senior Policy Attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy since January 2000, Ms. Edelman provides training, research, policy analysis, consultation, and litigation support relating to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Under two grants from the Commonwealth Fund, she evaluated the federal nursing home survey and enforcement system and its impact on state activities and provided technical assistance to states on effective enforcement practices.  In cooperation with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, she recently completed a Commonwealth Fund project to evaluate seven states’ deficiency citations for misuse of antipsychotic drugs.  Since September 1999, she has written a monthly newsletter on nursing home enforcement issues.  

Ms. Edelman was the lead attorney for a statewide class of nursing facility residents who successfully challenged the state of California’s refusal to implement the federal Nursing Home Reform Law (Valdivia v. California Department of Health Services, Civ. No. S-90-1226 EJG (E.D. Calif. 1993).  As a beneficiary representative, Ms. Edelman has testified before Congress and served on federal task forces, technical expert panels, and working groups on nursing home issues.  

Ms. Edelman received a B.A., Magna cum Laude, from Barnard College (1968), an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (1969), and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center (1974).  Ms. Edelman is a member of the Washington, DC Bar.