Amy Kostelic

Professional Profile

Amy Kostelic joined the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in 2008.  She is currently an Associate Extension Professor in the Department of Family Sciences and leader of the Embracing Life as We Age Family Consumer Sciences state initiative. Through the aging initiative, Amy develops and promotes programs and educational materials that focus on aging families and caregiving in addition to programs that highlight healthy lifestyle behaviors that enhance overall health, well-being and life quality across the lifespan.   

In the Department of Family Sciences, Amy teaches Life Course Human Development.  She also directs education abroad programs to Greece and Costa Rica to help students learn about the lifestyles and health behaviors of some of the world’s oldest and healthiest living people. 

Although current responsibilities are primarily related to Extension, Amy’s past professional and research interest includes working with older adults and improving life quality along the long-term care housing continuum.  Amy has examined the concept of institutional permeability as it relates to well-being for the individuals residing and working in nursing facilities.  In addition, she has employed narrative interview techniques with family caregivers and those living with Alzheimer's disease to further examine meanings of home and adjustment through memory loss. 

Amy is a member of the Gerontological Society of America, the Sigma Phi Omega Gerontology Honor Society and the National Extension Association for Family Consumer Sciences. She has over 300 print and electronic extension-related publications and manages 12 extension programs.