
Dr. David Burnes is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Academic at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Dr. Burnes completed a PhD at Columbia University School of Social Work in New York City, concentrating in gerontology and advanced practice. His program of research centers around the issue of elder abuse. Specifically, his research focuses on understanding and preventing elder abuse in the community, including the development of basic science (prevalence, risk factors, severity), developing/evaluating interventions, and developing intervention outcome measures. Dr. Burnes has published several research papers on the topic of elder abuse and has obtained grants from federal-level sources (e.g., National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Justice) to fund research. He has been invited to advise international organizations on the topic of elder abuse, including the World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health. He also advises government entities, including state-level adult protective services programs, on the development and implementation of elder abuse response intervention practices and measurement strategies. Dr. Burnes’ interest in elder abuse stems from both family experience and clinical practice with older adults.