Speakers

Dr. Cate O’Brien is Senior Vice President of Mather Institute and Community Initiatives and has been with Mather since 2005. Mather Institute is an award-winning resource for research and information on senior living and wellness. Under Cate’s leadership, the Institute designs and implements groundbreaking research in collaboration with top universities. The Person-Centric Wellness model, which offers a new and compelling conceptualization of wellness, and the Age Well Study, a first-of-its-kind 5-year longitudinal study of health and wellness among residents of Life Plan Communities, are two examples of the Institute’s recent work. Through the sharing of best practices and findings from cutting edge research and initiatives, Mather Institute helps to spark greater innovation and advance the Senior Living and aging services industry.

Cate also leads the Mather Community Initiatives team in working toward the vision of an equitable Chicago in which all older adults find wellness opportunities and resources to thrive within their communities. Strategies to grow the number of older adults served through virtual and in-person programs include the popular DIT (Do-It-Together) Creative Art Kits, which in 2024 engaged more than 10,000 older adults in creating art and connecting with one another through virtual opportunities. Also in 2024, Community Initiatives programs reached older adults in more than 25 neighborhoods throughout Chicago, and many more across the country via virtual offerings. Future initiatives include a focus on healthy eating, regenerative farming, hydroponic gardens, and more.

Cate earned a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, San Diego; a master’s in public health (Epidemiology) from San Diego State University; and a PhD in public health and community health sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago.