SPH-B is thrilled to announce that Assistant Dean for Faculty Success Rich Holden, Ph.D. was recently awarded Fellow status in the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Dr. Holden was unanimously selected for this honor in recognition of "outstanding and continuing work in the field of gerontology."
Dr. Holden also holds the titles of Dean's Administrative Fellow for Organizational Strategy and Dean's Eminent Scholar, and has received millions of dollars in funding for initiatives such as the Brain CareNotes app (designed to help informal/family caregivers manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia).
Established in 1945, GSA is the preeminent organization dedicated to "research, education, and practice in the field of aging." Fellow status is the highest category of GSA membership and is granted to select members only after a thorough and rigorous evaluation process.
Joseph Gaugler, Ph.D. was among the signatories on Dr. Holden's award nomination letter, which read in part, "The central theme of this work is human-centered design of interventions, followed by rigorous evaluation via pragmatic clinical trials.
"Dr. Holden continues to expand his research portfolio," the letter continues, "with emerging work in physical activity interventions for healthy cognitive aging among individuals with intellectual and development disabilities; decentralized clinical trial infrastructure to increase access and inclusivity in clinical trials; and mental health interventions for older adults and their care partners."
Earlier this year, Dr. Holden was named the James A. Caplin, M.D. Chair in Evidence-Based Public Health. He is also a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, which presented him with the 2021 Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award for "the development and promotion of patient ergonomics."
Dr. Holden will be formally named a Fellow at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston this November.
For more stories about SPH-B students and faculty making a big difference both locally and worldwide, visit go.iu.edu/48bx.