Professor
Director, Developmental Psychology oclay@uab.edu
CH 321
(205) 934-2728

Research Interests: Racial/ethnic health disparities within older adults, caregiving, social support, diabetes, healthcare utilization, advanced statistical methods, mobility and cognition in older adults

Office Hours: By appointment

Education:

• B.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology
• M.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology, Gerontology Certificate
• Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology (Development)

My research focuses on addressing issues related to successful aging, and I have a specific interest in health disparities. My undergraduate and doctoral training sparked my interests in several aspects of aging, including: racial/ethnic disparities in health, family caregiving, social support, health care access and utilization, cognition, and mobility. You can learn more about my recent work with Alzheimer’s patients in this article in the Birmingham Times.

My research objectives within the field of health disparities include examining racial disparities on numerous outcomes including, but not limited to:

1. physical and mental health in older adults and
2. exploring racial differences in caregiver resilience in response to the stressors associated with caregiving.

Disparities have previously been identified in these areas, but the focus of my research is on (a) charting the longitudinal trajectories of these outcomes, (b) identifying factors such as social support, healthcare utilization, and perceived discrimination that may explain or mediate racial differences, and (c) developing targeted interventions to reduce disparities.

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