Maria P. Aranda
- Executive Director of the USC Edward E. Roybal Institute on Aging
- Professor of Social Work and Gerontology
- USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Links:
Expertise
- Social work, gerontology, minority aging, women, diversity, health equity
- Research on medical and psychiatric conditions affecting adults, older adults and their care partners (caregivers)
- Sociobehavioral interventions for people living with psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimerâs disease
- Depression, dementia, family caregiving in racial and ethnic communities
- Sociocultural adaptations to behavioral health interventions
- Curriculum development in social work, geriatrics, diversity/equity/inclusion
- Health disparities and health equity
- Workforce development, and mentoring of early career scholars in aging and health disparities research
- Recruitment of underrepresented groups in study participation
- Latinas/Latinos/Latinx/Hispanics/Latin Americans
- Bilingual: English and Spanish
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Additional Information
- Joint courtesy appointment at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
- International/national expert on the study of adults living with medical, functional, and psychiatric illnesses with special focus on sociobehavioral intervention research, geriatric workforce development, Alzheimer’s research, family caregiving, and cultural/linguistic adaptations of evidence-based psychosocial interventions
- Member of several consensus and expert committees sponsored by the Social Security Administration, the National Institutes on Aging, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, National Caregiving Alliance, Alzheimer’s Association, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and AARP
- Expert on policies related to on geriatric workforce development, family caregiving to older adults, assessments of financial and functional capacity of Social Security Administration beneficiaries, dementia care and long-term services and supports, and family caregiving.
- Developed the first Spanish-language support group for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
- Appointed member to the California Governor’s Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force
- Research funded by major institutions including the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, The John A. Hartford Foundation/The Gerontological Society of America, the National Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, the Alzheimer’s Association/Health Resources and Services Administration, State of California Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and the California Community Foundation.
- Fellow of The Gerontological Society of America
- Recipient of over 30 honors, awards, and expert appointments from prominent state and national organizations
- Over 30 years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker