Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN

Dr. Gitlin is the co-principal investigator with Dr. Kales for this study. She is an applied research sociologist, distinguished professor and dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University. Dr. Gitlin is nationally and internationally recognized for her research on developing, evaluating and implementing novel home and community-based interventions that improve quality of life of people living with dementia and their family caregivers, enhance daily function of older adults with functional daily challenges and address mental health disparities. She is a well-funded researcher, having received continuous research and training grants from federal agencies and private foundations for over 35 years.

In all of her research, she applies a social ecological perspective and person—family-directed, family centric and strength-based approaches to examine, intervene and support individuals. Through collaborations with community organizations, health and human service professionals and other stakeholders, she seeks to maximize the relevance and impact of her interventions and advance their scaling up and dissemination. As co-principal investigator, she is responsible for helping to design the online platform, the study procedures and scientific oversight of how the trial is conducted.