Laura Gitlin
Distinguished University Professor and Dean Emerita, John Hopkins School of Nursing | Executive Director, AgeWell Collaboratory
Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN, an applied research sociologist, is distinguished professor, dean emerita of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University and the inaugural executive director of its AgeWell Collaboratory. The AgeWell Collaboratory oversees Drexel’s AgeFriendly University international designation, and partners with over 80 community-based organizations serving racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse communities involving older adults and families.
Dr. Gitlin is internationally recognized as an intervention scientist. Her research focuses on developing, evaluating, implementing and disseminating novel home and community-based interventions that seek to improve quality of life indicators for older adults and/or their family members. She and her teams have developed many interventions that are used throughout the United States and worldwide. She is also currently developing a digital platform, Plans4Care, that will provide dementia caregivers nonpharmacological strategies tailored to their care challenges. In all of her interventions, she applies a social ecological, health equity and implementation lens to develop and evaluate person-centered and person-directed approaches to support individuals/families within their living contexts using nonpharmacological, behavioral, cognitive and environmental strategies. Her co-authored book (A Caregiver’s Guide to Dementia: Using Activities and Other Strategies to Prevent, Reduce and Manage Behavioral Symptoms, Camino Books) has been translated in Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. Some of her measures have similarly been translated in other languages and validated for use in different countries.
Dr. Gitlin is internationally recognized as an intervention scientist. Her research focuses on developing, evaluating, implementing and disseminating novel home and community-based interventions that seek to improve quality of life indicators for older adults and/or their family members. She and her teams have developed many interventions that are used throughout the United States and worldwide. She is also currently developing a digital platform, Plans4Care, that will provide dementia caregivers nonpharmacological strategies tailored to their care challenges. In all of her interventions, she applies a social ecological, health equity and implementation lens to develop and evaluate person-centered and person-directed approaches to support individuals/families within their living contexts using nonpharmacological, behavioral, cognitive and environmental strategies. Her co-authored book (A Caregiver’s Guide to Dementia: Using Activities and Other Strategies to Prevent, Reduce and Manage Behavioral Symptoms, Camino Books) has been translated in Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. Some of her measures have similarly been translated in other languages and validated for use in different countries.