Transforming Home Care

CompassCare was founded in 2014 on a simple premise: most of us would prefer to live independently at home as we grow older. We felt that the best way to empower this independence was to create a home care company built on both evidence-based care and best-in-class hospitality.
Started by Cornell-trained geriatricians and gerontologists in collaboration with leaders in hospitality, our senior staff has collectively logged well over 150 years of direct clinical, academic and professional experience in the field of home care. They bring their complete personal and professional experiences and skills together at CompassCare.

CompassCare was created by leaders in Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Hospitality

Mark S. Lachs, MD, MPH is the Irene and Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Co-Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Weill Medical College. He is also Director of Cornell's Center for Aging Research and Clinical Care and Director of Geriatrics for the New York-Presbyterian Health System. Dr. Lachs' research, teaching, and clinical experience center on improving the quality of life for older adults. An internationally recognized authority on the field of elder abuse, he has authored over 100 articles on the subject and other areas of gerontology, and conducted important research on the topic.
Judi Brownell is an Associate Director of the CompassCare Institute and Director of Hospitality & Client Care. She is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Hotel Administration, SC Johnson College of Business, at Cornell University. Her administrative roles include Director of Graduate Studies, Dean of Students, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Judi is also a Faculty Fellow in the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures which focuses on integrating healthcare with hospitality and design. She has developed courses in Customer Service, Listening Effectiveness, Leadership, and Senior Living for eCornell as well as a variety of other distance learning courses for use in the service industries.
Judi has developed and delivered training programs for doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff in customer service and has taught organizational communication courses for graduate students in hospitality and healthcare administration. Her international experience includes teaching service-related executive seminars and courses in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Norway, and France.
Her best-selling textbook on effective listening is now in its 7th edition, and a new book focused on listening in service contexts, The Listening Advantage, is now available. Judi was previously president of the International Listening Association and was inducted into the Listening Hall of Fame. She is the recipient of both its research and presidents’ awards.
Karl Pillemer is the Hazel E. Reed Professor in the Department of Psychology, Professor of Gerontology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Outreach in the College of Human Ecology. His major interests center on human development over the life course, with a special emphasis on family and social relationships in middle age and beyond. He has a strong theoretical and empirical interest in life course transitions and the effects they have on family relationships. Pillemer also directs the Cornell Legacy Project.
Rhoda Meador is currently the Associate Director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging. She serves as a member of the American Society on Aging, the Gerontological Society of America, the Direct Care Workers Alliance, and many working groups and tasks forces. She has designed, evaluated and implemented a variety of programs and is the author and co-author of numerous books, manuals, and articles. Dr. Meador is also a frequent speaker and trainer at professional workshops and conferences.