Dr. Aranda is an internationally recognized socio-behavioral scholar in the fields of social work, geriatrics, and gerontology. She is a Professor, and holds faculty appointments in Social Work and Gerontology at the University of Southern California, USA, and is Executive Director of the USC Roybal Institute on Aging. She has led research projects to understand medical and psychiatric comorbidity in adult populations specifically in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, psychosocial interventions for individuals and family caregivers/care partners, and health disparities. Dr. Aranda has extensive experience in randomized trials, ethnographic methods, large-scale epidemiological research, stakeholder engagement, and innovative recruitment strategies to address the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic groups in clinical research. She served on several national committees dedicated to improving the care, services, and support for persons living with dementia and their families. With the goal of diversifying the biomedical workforce, Dr. Aranda mentors numerous graduate students, and doctoral-level scholars from first-generation families to attain their educational and career goals.
María P. Aranda, PhD
