The Internal Advisory Committee is responsible for providing advice and direction to the leadership.

Internal Advisory Committee, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative Members

Bernd Fritzsch, Director

Bernd Fritzsch

,
Ph.D.
Director, Center on Aging
Director, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative
Professor and Chair, Department of Biology
Department of Biology

Bernd Fritzsch, Ph.D., is the Director of the Aging Mind and Brain Initiative. He is Professor in the Department of Biology, holds an Endowed Entrepreneurial Professor title and is a Fellow of the AAAS. He holds secondary appointments in the Department of Otolaryngology, is a member of the DELTA center and is core co-director of the recently awarded P30 in auditory research. He received his PhD from the University of Darmstadt, was awarded the prestigious Heisenberg Fellowship and has published over 250 papers and reviews. Prior to becoming the Chair in the Department of Biology he served...

Dr. Susan Schultz, Co-Director

Susan Schultz

,
MD
Director, Center on Aging
Director, Aging Mind and Brain Initiative
Director, Geriatric Education Center
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Vice-Chair for Clinical Translation
Department of Psychiatry

Susan K. Schultz, M.D., is the Director of the Aging Mind and Brain Initiative.  She is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Vice-Chair for Clinical Translation, and Director of the Iowa Geriatric Education Center. She is the President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has board qualifications in Geriatric Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine.  She joined the University of Iowa faculty in 1995 after completing a research fellowship in the Neurobiology of...

Christopher Atchison

Christopher Atchison

,
M.P.A., A.B.
Director, University of Iowa Hygienic Lab
Associate Dean for Public Health Practice
Clinical Professor, Department of Health Management and Policy
Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health

Christopher G. Atchison is Director of Iowa’s Hygienic Laboratory, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Clinical Professor in Health Management and Policy. He holds secondary appointments in the College of Nursing and the Public Policy Center. Mr. Atchison serves on the Iowa Prevention of Disabilities Policy Council, co-chairs the Partnership for Better Health, and is on the Board of the Child and Family Policy Center and on the Steering Committee for the National Academy of State Health Policy. He is also Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Association of Public...

Mercedes Bern-Klug

Mercedes Bern-Klug

,
Ph.D., M.A., M.S.W.
Associate Professor
Director, Aging Studies Program
Hartford Faculty Scholar
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Dr. Bern-Klug is the Director of the University of Iowa's Aging Studies Program.  Her research interests are gerontology, demography; long-term care; psychosocial issues in advanced chronic illness; nursing home social work; end-of-life issues; funeral arrangements; creative writing for social workers. 

Kathleen Buckwalter

Kathleen Buckwalter

,
Ph.D., R.N.
Professor Emeritus
College of Nursing

Professor Emeritus Kathleen Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the former Director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, and Associate Director of the National Health Law and Policy Center at the UI College of Law. A prolific researcher of issues affecting the elderly, Dr. Buckwalter's work has focused on improving mental health services and providing community-based care for chronically ill older persons. Her specific clinical and research interests are in the area of geriatric mental health.

Dr. Buckwalter's research has been funded by several branches of the...

Peter Damiano

Peter Damiano

,
D.D.S., M.P.H.
Director, Public Policy Center
Director, Health Policy Research Program
Professor, Preventive and Community Dentistry
Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry

Peter Damiano is the Director of the Public Policy Center (PPC) and Professor, Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at the University of Iowa. He started the health policy research program at the PPC in 1990 and has been Director of the Center since July 2007. He is a health services researcher who investigates issues relating to access to care, quality, cost and outcomes of care. Dr. Damiano has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and research monographs and has been the principal investigator on over 50 research studies funded by federal, state and Foundation...

Keela Herr

Keela Herr

,
PhD, RN, FAAN, AGSF
Nursing

Aging Related Research:
My program of research, as well as educational and advocacy work, is in the area of geriatric pain, facilitating best practices through implementation science strategies, and promoting palliative and end of life care.

Keywords: Pain, measurement, assessment, aging, cognitive impairment

Robert Philibert

Robert Philibert

,
M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
Professor of Bioengineering
Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Philibert has three major foci of research in my laboratory. The first focus is molecular gene-environment (GxE) studies of large longitudinal cohorts. The second focus is centered on my work with MED12 in human health and behavior. The third area is the development of transcriptional profiling techniques in behavioral health. Molecular Studies of GxE Effects in Behavioral Illness. The importance of GxE effects in complex behavior illnesses has become increasingly appreciated over the past several years. In order to study these interactions, he has assembled one of the largest...

Jean Robillard

Jean Robillard

,
M.D.
Vice President for Medical Affairs
Carver College of Medicine

Jean E. Robillard, M.D., is the university's vice president for medical affairs, appointed to the post in January 2007 after serving four years as dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Robillard also served as interim president of the University Iowa Aug. 1, 2015 through November 1, 2015.  As vice president, he led the integration of UI Hospitals and Clinics, the Carver College of Medicine, and the UI Physicians group practice into University of Iowa Health Care, the state of Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center.  He has expanded medical services to better meet Iowa...