Professor Utz completed her PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan in 2004. Before that, she completed a Master degree in gerontology (long term care administration) from Miami University, and worked as an applied research associate in Washington DC. She has been a faculty member at the University of Utah since 2004. She is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and has an adjunct appointment in the College of Nusing (Gerontology). She is currently a Senior Associate Dean in College of Social and Behavioral Science, and formerly served as Director of the 'Health Society & Policy' program (an interdisciplinary undergradaute degree), Co-Director of the Consortium for Families & Health Research, and senior faculty associate for the "Family Caregiving Collaborative."  In the classroom, she teaches both undergraduate and graduate students how to be better consumers and producers of researchers (research methods). She also teaches courses related to epidemiology, population studies, and families & health. She has mentored countless students, and takes great pride in providing hands-on advising so students can learn to be independent researchers.Current research interests center around her broad interdisciplinary interests in the health and aging of the American population. She is most interested in how families manage end-of-life and chronic disease care transitions. This includes work in the areas of both bereavement/widowhood and family caregiving. Her current research interests are focused on the development and evaluation of supportive interventions for caregivers, particularly in the area of respite, advance care planning, and to support those caring for persons living with Alzheimer's Disease and other related dementias. She enjoys living in Utah, with her husband and two daughters.