Joe Caldwell, PhD, was a UCEDD Trainee at the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago before becoming the 2005 Disability Policy Leadership Fellow.  Since completing his PhD in Disability Studies at the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Joe has served as a Policy Analyst at AUCD as well as a Joseph P. Kennedy Policy Fellow in Senator Chris Dodd's office.  Currently, Joe is employed as Director Long-Term Services and Supports Policy at the National Council on Aging. 

During his time at AUCD, Joe focused on five areas: 1) Medicaid and the Budget Process; 2) Long-Term Services and Supports Legislation; 3) White House Conference on Aging/Older Americans Act; 4) End-of-Life and Life-Sustaining Decisions; and 5) Council on Community Advocacy (COCA) and Consumer Advisory Committees.

Upon reflecting on his Fellowship experience, Joe wrote, "The past year was honestly one of the best years I have had... The fellowship experience was more than I ever hoped for and will shape things to come.  I have always situated myself within the intersection of advocacy and research.  Sometimes pulled in different directions, this past year I have balanced both and contemplated the interconnections.  I have gained a stockpile of new research ideas and hands-on policy knowledge that coursework could not hope to match.  Furthermore, I have gained a deeper appreciation of vast knowledge the expertise within the AUCD network.  As I return to the University of Illinois at Chicago, I know I will always be welcomed to reach within the network and tap [on] that expertise at any time".

For more information about Joe's experience, read his final report.