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Courtney Harold Van Houtven

Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
Duke Box 3240, Durham, NC 27708
2424 Erwin Rd, Hock Plaza, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Dr. Courtney Van Houtven is a Professor in The Department of Population Health Science, Duke University School of Medicine and Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. Dr. Van Houtven’s aging and economics research interests encompass long-term care financing, intra-household decision-making, unpaid family and friend care, and home- and community-based services. She examines how family caregiving affects health care utilization, expenditures, health and work outcomes of care recipients and caregivers. She is also interested in understanding how best to support family caregivers to optimize caregiver and care recipient outcomes. She leads a mixed methods R01 study as PI from the National Institute on Aging that will assess the value of "home time" for persons living with dementia and their caregivers (RF1 AG072364). She also directs CASCADE: Center for Advancing the Science of Complex Care: Aging, Disability, and Equity, a grant-funded center within DPHS.

Areas of expertise: Health Economics and Health Services Research 

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2021 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published September 2, 2025
Caregiving Takes a Toll. A New Tool Offers Help.
Published June 4, 2019
How Building Better Care Teams Can Improve Health Care for Seriously Ill Seniors

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Recent Publications


Acceptability of the Veterans Health Administration's Caregiver Health and Wellbeing Coaching Program: Evidence From a Mixed-Methods Evaluation.

Journal Article J Appl Gerontol · December 15, 2025 This explanatory, sequential mixed-methods evaluation assessed the acceptability of the Veterans Health Administration's Caregiver Health and Wellbeing Coaching (CHWC) program from the perspectives of caregivers and staff. Guided by the Theoretical Framewo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Journal Article Alzheimers Dement · December 2025 BACKGROUND: People living with dementia (PLWD) face short-term risks following emergency department (ED) visits. However, the long-term impacts of ED visits on PLWD quality of life are not well characterized. Home time- days alive and outside hospitals or ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Duke/UNC ADAR Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

A Randomized Controlled Trial of BETTER, A Transitional Care Intervention, for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Families

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Nursing Research · 2023 - 2028

Improving the lives of persons living with dementia and their families through person-centered measurement of home time

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute on Aging · 2021 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 2000 Ph.D.