2024 Speakers

Dr. Fawn Cothran

Dr. Fawn Cothran is the Hunt Research Director at the National Alliance for Caregiving. She is a nurse scientist and gerontological clinical nurse specialist. As research director Dr. Cothran helps elevate national family caregiving research by strategically developing and guiding NAC research initiatives, including the landmark Caregiving in the US report. Dr. Cothran represents NAC in public meetings and professional research forums to highlight research priorities and ongoing work and develops and disseminates research on family caregiving to influence policies and programs designed to improve the lives of caregivers across the lifespan. She is PI of an Administration for Community Living grant focusing on Goal 5 of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers – expand data, research, and evidence-based practices to support family caregivers. Dr. Cothran earned a BSN from Howard University in Washington, D.C., an MSN with an emphasis in Gerontological Nursing and a Doctor of Philosophy, both from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, a Lifetime member of the National Black Nurses Association, and a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing Education.

Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson

Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson is an assistant professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Emory University’s Integrated Memory Care, a primary care clinic tailored to the care of persons living with dementia and their families. She is also the Principal Investigator of the DECIDE Research Lab, which focuses on creating culturally tailored decision-making programs to improve the quality of life of families of African American persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She graduated from The University of Tennessee at Martin with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2007, graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University in 2012, and graduated with a PhD from Oregon Health & Science University in 2019. In 2021, she completed her postdoctoral training (or training after completing a PhD) at Emory University. Dr. Bonds Johnson’s research focusing on improving the quality of life of African American persons living with dementia and their family care partners as well as improving the communication between these families and their primary care providers.

Dr. Paris Adkins-Jackson

Paris "AJ" Adkins-Jackson, PhD MPH is a multidisciplinary community-partnered health equity researcher and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. AJ's research investigates the role of structural racism on healthy aging for historically marginalized groups like those racialized as Black and Pacific Islander. Her primary project examines the role of life course adverse policing exposure on psychological well-being, cognitive function, and biological aging for older adults racialized Black and Latinx/e. Her secondary project tests the effectiveness of restorative, art-based, anti-racist, multilevel, structural interventions to increase community health and institutional trustworthiness through multisector and community partnerships. Dr. AJ is an HBCU alumna of the psychometrics doctoral program at Morgan State University and a board member of the Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues.

Dr. James Muruthi

Dr. James Muruthi, PhD, is an NIH-funded social and family gerontologist specializing in Black aging and health in both Africa and the U.S. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Couples and Family Therapy at Drexel University, where he leads the Cross-cultural Health and Aging Lab. His research leverages naturally occurring social support networks to develop interventions that improve health outcomes among aging Africans. Dr. Muruthi emphasizes community-informed, resilience-based approaches to reduce the impact of social inequities on older adults' health and well-being. He collaborates with local community organizations such as KARIKA and the Kivulini Jamii Initiative, as well as international aging organizations like HelpAge International, to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of his work. Currently, he is adapting a family-level economic intervention for grandmothers caring for AIDS orphans in Kenya. His research spans multiple African countries, including Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and Kenya.

Mr. Raymond A. Jetson

Raymond A. Jetson launched Aging While Black, a movement designed to amplify the value and experiences of Black elders by exploring the intersection of aging and race. awB centers three essential pillars: Recalibrating the Village, Embracing Innovation, and Leaning into Sankofa. These pillars center the wellbeing of Black elders by promoting the overhaul of the systems that support Black life, adapting new technologies and their potential, and embedding the wisdom of the elders into the fabric of the culture. He has served as CEO of the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, Deputy Secretary of Louisiana's Department of Health, State Representative for District 61, and pastor of Star Hill Church, impacting communities through leadership in public service and community building. A leading voice on community change strategies, social innovation, and authentic community engagement, he has served as a source for USA TODAY, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Dr. Felicia R. Simpson

Felicia R. Simpson, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Statistics and chair of the Department of Mathematics at Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Simpson received her BA in Mathematics from Albany State University and her Ph.D. in Biostatistics from Florida State University. Prior to joining Winston-Salem State University, Dr. Simpson worked as a Mathematical Statistician at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at FDA, Division of Biometrics IV. Her research interests include design and analysis of clinical trials, and metrics of aging, with a current focus on interfaces among aging, diabetes, and lifestyle. Dr. Simpson is an active member of the ASA and International Biometric Society. She currently serves on ENAR’s regional committee. She is passionate about increasing the exposure of statistics and biostatistics among students in underrepresented populations. Dr. Simpson is a member of ASA’s Committee on Minorities in Statistics and served as co-chair for the ENAR Fostering Diversity in Biostatistics Workshop.

Dr. Tiffany Washington

Tiffany Washington, PhD, MSW, is an Associate Professor of Health Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), College of Social Work. She is a Hartford Geriatric Scholar and a Gerontological Society of America Fellow. After completing her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2013, she joined the faculty at the University of Georgia School of Social Work, where she remained for 11 years. Dr. Washington’s research interests include health social work, implementation science, and health equity. She is a co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) of the Health Social Workers Scope of Practice During COVID-19 qualitative dataset, with findings published in Healthcare, Journal of Technology in Human Services, and Journal of Interprofessional Care. Additionally, Dr. Washington designed and pilot-tested both in-home and virtual versions of a caregiver respite program where student volunteers deliver respite visits to caregivers of persons with dementia. At UTK, she teaches courses on health social work and gerontology.

Dr. Felicia Wheaton

Dr. Felicia Wheaton received her PhD in Gerontology from the University of Southern California. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gerontology at Bethune-Cookman University. She utilizes a variety of population-based surveys, including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), to examine the impact of psychosocial factors on the health and wellbeing of older adults. She teaches courses in Research Methods, Cultural and Social Aspects of Aging, Minority Aging, and Seminars in Gerontology. She has been a member of the Gerontological Society of America for 16 years!

Dr. Ashley Jennings

Dr. Ashley Jennings is the Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Gerontology in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Bethune-Cookman University. Dr. Jennings’ has an extensive background in higher education and community engagement. Merging her passion for health and serving the community, she focuses on initiatives that provide education and resources to older adults and caregivers of underserved populations. Dr. Jennings’ research has addressed the impact of Historically Black Colleges & Universities, health disparities, social impact, and food insecurity. Her professional affiliations include the National Council of Certified Dementia Care Practitioners, The Gerontological Society of America and The Southern Gerontological Society. Dr. Jennings serves on various community and university boards and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®.

Dr. Travonia Brown-Hughes

Dr. Travonia Brown-Hughes’s research interests are grounded in the study of aging, care transitions, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. She has been active in the development and facilitation of several research and community-based projects with a focus on cognitive aging in diverse populations, barriers and facilitators to research participation among minorities, and co-morbidity and treatment burden in older adult populations. Her long-term career goal is to become an independent investigator who identifies, develops and implements ways of improving the quality of life and care received by patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families through education and research.

Dr. Tamara Baker

Dr. Tamara Baker is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an appointed member of the US Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric and Gerontology Advisory Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of Ethnicity & Health. She was recently appointed as a Scientific Committee Member to the National Institutes of Health’s Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee. Dr. Baker’s research broadly focuses on health disparities and health equity, cultural diversity/sensitivity, and social determinants of health among older adults. She received her BA from North Carolina Central University (HBCU) and MA from Norfolk State University (HBCU).

Dr. Darlingtina Esiaka

Darlingtina Esiaka, PhD, CPG, CPH, is a Post-Doctoral Associate in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University. She has a dual-title Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Gerontology from the University of Kansas, a Masters in Psychology from Arkansas Tech University with Distinction, Graduate certificates in Health Psychology and African Studies from the University of Kansas, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with First class honors and a Diploma in Social Works from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her research interests revolve around two major themes. One focuses on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in aging Black people. She examines how to detect progression and conversion to ADRD, long before the presentation of behavioral symptoms. The second focuses on the early detection of cancer in older Black people. She investigates psychosocial factors that predict fatal stage cancer diagnosis and survivorship in Black people.

Dr. Candi Nwakasi

Dr. Candi Nwakasi is an Assistant Professor of Gerontology in Human Development and Family Sciences. His background includes undergraduate training in biochemistry, and graduate training in public health, and social gerontology. His previous work experience before joining academia spanned medical, pharmaceutical, and non-profit sectors. He is a co-founder of Black in Gerontology and Geriatrics (BIGG), an organization that works to amplify the voices and efforts of Black people in the field of aging. He serves on the board of PACE-RI, and the editorial board of Journal of Aging Studies. With a focus on aging disadvantaged populations, Candi’s research includes cancer survivorship, cognitive decline and caregiving, and sociocultural factors influencing health care access.

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