Skip to main content

Accessibility menu

Skip to main content Skip to footer

Profile for Erica Srinivasan

Erica Srinivasan profile photo

Contact me

Erica Srinivasan

Associate Professor
Psychology University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Erica Srinivasan

Associate Professor

Psychology

Specialty area(s)

Developmental psychology thanatology (aid-in-dying, disenfranchised grief, ambiguous loss, prolonged grief disorder, COVID-19, medical ethics, writing tools for grief), gerontology (dementia, caregiving, intergenerational relationships, ageism), qualitative methods, applied research impacting community programming and policy development. 

Brief biography

Dr. Erica G. Srinivasan is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse, where she also serves as the Director for the Center for Grief and Death Education, and is Co-Chair for the Gerontology Emphasis. Additionally, she is the lead instructor in the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s Grief Support Specialist Certificate Program  and will soon be launching a Dementia Support Specialist Badge for UWL continuing education. She conducts research on grief and loss, medical-aid-in-dying, dementia, and death education. She has a passion for normalizing conversations about aging, death and grief, which serves as a foundation for all of her professional work.  

Current courses at UWL

Lifespan Development
Adulthood and Aging
Death, Dying and Bereavement                                                                                                       Dementia

Education

Ph.D. Human Development and Family Sciences, minor in end-of-life issues and gerontology (Oregon State University, Corvallis)
B.A. Psychology and French (Otterbein College, Columbus, Ohio)

 

Career

Teaching history

Lifespan Development

Family Studies

Adulthood and Aging

Death and Dying

End of Life Issues

Health and Aging

Dementia and Caregiving

Gerontology internship

Special topics: Pandemic and the lifespan; Ethical issues in healthcare

 

Research and publishing

Wheeler, R., Srinivasan, E.G. Bolkan, C., Decker, A. (2021) Young adults’ experiences with loss

            and grief during COVID-19. Death Studies

Gullekson, N., Kiersch, C., Manno, C., Srinivasan, E.G., Vianden, J.G. (2021) Exploring the

            differential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees with disabilities:

           A call for organizational action. Sociation

MacKinnon, C., Ummel, D., Vinit, F., Srinivasan, E.G. (2021) Suffering a death wish: The

            psychology of medical aid-in-dying. In Neimeyer, R. (Ed.), New techniques of grief

            therapy: Bereavement and beyond. New York, NY: Routledge.

Srinivasan, E.G. (2020) Grief and Medical Assistance in Dying: Lessons learned from Oregon.

             Canadian Virtual Hospice,

https://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home/For+Professionals/For+Professionals/The+Exchange/Current/Grief+and+MAiD_+Lessons+Learned+from+Oregon.aspx

Srinivasan, E.G. (2018). Bereavement and the Oregon Death with Dignity Act: How does

      assisted death impact grief? Death Studies. Advance online publication.

      doi: 10.1080/07481187.2018.1511636.

Srinivasan, E.G. (2017). Assisted death and suicide: comparing grief reactions. In N.

      Thompson, G. Cox & R. Stevenson (Eds.), Handbook of traumatic loss: A guide to

       theory and practice (pp. 33-46). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bolkan, C., Srinivasan E.G., Dewar, A., Schubel, S. (2014). Learning through loss: Implementing  

       lossography narratives in death education. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 36(2), 124-

       143.

 

Kudos

presented

Erica Srinivasan, Psychology, presented "Understanding Grief: Foundation for Professionals" at the Behavioral Health Training Partnership on Nov. 4 in Green Bay, WI. Srinivasan was invited to lead a specialized training on grief for UW-Green Bay's Behavioral Health Training Partnership, a prestigious continuing education program designed for professionals in the behavioral health field. The Behavioral Health Training Partnership serves an impressive 68 member counties and two tribal nations across Wisconsin, highlighting the significant reach and impact of her expertise. Her invitation to deliver this training highlights her leadership, knowledge, and dedication to advancing the field of behavioral health.

Submitted on: Dec. 17, 2024

served

Erica Srinivasan, Psychology, served as an invited judge for the Innovation Challenge hosted by the Canadian Virtual Hospice at the World Congress on Palliative Care in Montreal on October 18, 2024. She sat on a panel of judges who selected a winner from six palliative care proposals from global innovators in the field presented in a bilingual Shark Tank style program. The winner was awarded a cash prize to fund their proposed program.

Submitted on: Oct. 24, 2024

presented

Grace Deason, Erica Srinivasan and Tanvi Thakkar, all Psychology, presented "The Women, Gender Minorities, and Allies in Science Symposium" at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology Mid-Winter Meeting on Feb. 13 in Orlando. Thakkar chaired the symposium, and Deason and Srinivasan presented "From Barriers to Opportunities: How Stereotypes Shape Women's Experiences in Science" and "Gender Discrimination and Gender Stereotypes: Exploring the Impact on Women in Academia."

Submitted on: Feb. 17, 2023

published

Nicole Gullekson, Christa Kiersch and Christine Manno, all Management; Erica Srinivasan, Psychology; and Jörg Vianden, Student Affairs; co-authored the article "Exploring the Differential Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Employees with Disabilities: A Call for Organizational Action" in Sociation published on March 22 by North Carolina Sociological Association.

Submitted on: Mar. 30, 2022

served

Erica Srinivasan, Psychology served as a panelist following the screening of the documentary film, "Defining Hope." In honor of National Palliative Care and Hospice Month, Viterbo University, the UWL Center for Death, Grief and Bereavement, the UWL Psychology Department and Gundersen Health System collaborated on the event. The film explored how people living with life-threatening illness and nurses navigate treatment decisions. The film was shown for one night across the U.S., and La Crosse was one of only six places in Wisconsin that participated.

Submitted on: Nov. 3, 2017

Important links