Dr. David Burnes

Biography

David Burnes, PhD, is a Professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and holds the Canada Research Chair in Older Adult Mistreatment Prevention. He completed his PhD at Columbia University School of Social Work, focusing on gerontology and advanced practice. His research program centers on elder mistreatment, including abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation, aiming to develop foundational knowledge about risk factors, prevalence, and intervention design. Burnes has published extensively on elder mistreatment across leading gerontology, public health, and medical journals. He has received external funding from various federal agencies in Canada and the United States to support his research. In addition, Burnes advises international organizations such as the World Health Organization and collaborates with non-profit organizations and state-level adult protective services to create and measure effective prevention programs. He is a pivotal contributor to the RISE program, an evidence-based initiative developed to aid elder mistreatment responses which has shown improvement in outcomes and reduction in recidivism. His work is grounded in ecological-systems and client-centered perspectives, integrating various therapeutic methodologies to support older adults.

Research Interests

Experience