2019 Call to Justice Honoree: Joan Ilardo

By Marley Van Fossen, Screening Integration Coordinator at Elder Law of Michigan

On August 7, 2019, Elder Law of Michigan will honor Joan Ilardo with the 2019 Joe D. Sutton Call to Justice Award for her elder abuse prevention work.

The Joe D. Sutton Call to Justice Awards honor those that share the mission of Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. to advocate for, educate, and assist those in need, with a continued focus on older adults and persons with disabilities.

Ron Tatro, Vice President of Elder Law of Michigan, said, “As a community leader in the fields of aging and social science, she is recognized for both her science and non-science contributions to help advance better lives for seniors.”

Joan Ilardo, PhD is the Director of Research Initiatives for the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine where she facilitates faculty collaborations in health services research. She serves as Principal Investigator (PI) on two Michigan Health Endowment Fund grants that develop and implement innovative programs to promote patient-provider partnerships for older adults with chronic conditions. She is Co-PI of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center and MSU PI for the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research. She was Co-PI of the HRSA funded Geriatric Education Center of Michigan from 2010 to 2015. Dr. Ilardo is active with several statewide coalitions that address patient self-management of chronic conditions, advanced care planning, and dementia.

Prior to joining the College of Human Medicine in 2009, Dr. Ilardo directed the MSU School of Social Work MSW program. She was a Senior Consultant at Health Management Associates for 12 years where she designed, conducted programs and evaluated public health, mental health, human services, and managed care pilot projects. She served as the Director of Patient Information at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She serves on the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging that oversees Michigan’s aging services network.

Elder Law of Michigan is proud to honor Joan with the 2019 Joe D. Sutton Call to Justice Award. Join us in honoring Joan and her years of service in making a difference in the lives of older adults Wednesday, August 7th, from 6 pm to 8 pm at UrbanBeat in Lansing. RSVP for the Mid-Michigan event. RSVP for the Mid-Michigan event.


Marley Van Fossen is a Screening Integration Coordinator for MiCAFE at Elder Law of Michigan. She has been a member of the Elder Law of Michigan team since October 2018. As a Screening Integration Coordinator, Marley assists seniors with benefit applications and develops relationships with community partners in Michigan.