Dr. Caitlin N. Pope, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Caitlin N. Pope is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior & Society and the Graduate Center for Gerontology. Dr. Pope is a faculty associate in the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center and a UK Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) scholar. Her research takes a lifespan approach to understanding the complex associations between normative age-related changes, pathology-related neurocognitive burden, and outcomes that reflect an individual’s ability to maintain safe and independent function in later life. The overall goal of her research is to prevent unintentional injuries, support and sustain functional independence in later life, and promote healthy aging through unique behavioral and cognitive solutions.
Education
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Public Health
- Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- PhD, Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- MA, Psychology
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- BS, Biology
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
- BA, Psychology
- University of North Carolina Wilmington
Research Interests
- Cognitive aging
- HIV/AIDS
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Driving simulation
- Everyday functioning
- Mobility
- Injury prevention
- Transportation safety
- Women’s health
- Lifespan development
Teaching Interests
- Psychology of aging
- Cognitive aging
- Research methods and design
Selected Publications
- Pope, C. N., Fazeli, P. L., Vance, D. E., Mrug, S., Ball, K. K., & Stavrinos, D. (2020). Cognitive reserve attenuates the association between HIV serostatus and cognitive performance in adults living in the deep South. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, Epub online. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2020.1832095
- Pope, C. N., Montoya, J., Vasequez, E., Perez Santiago, J., Ellis, R., Jeste, D., Moore, D., & Marquine, M. (2020). Association between HIV serostatus, metabolic syndrome, and neurobehavioral disturbances among aging adults. Journal of NeuroVirology, 26(6), 888-898. doi: 10.1007/s13365-020-00878-5
- Pope, C. N., Fazeli, P. L., Bell, T. R., Gaini, M. S., Mrug, S., Vance, D. E., & Ball. K. K. (2020). A longitudinal investigation of falls and motor vehicle crashes in older drivers. Journal of Aging and Health, 32(9), 1258-1266. doi: 10.1177/0898264320915111
- Pope, C. N., Stavrinos, D., Vance, D. E., Woods, A. J., Bell, T. R., Ball, K., & Fazeli, P. L. (2018). A pilot investigation on the effects of combination transcranial direct current stimulation and speed of processing cognitive remediation therapy on simulated driving behavior in older adults with HIV. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 58, 1061-1073. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2018.08.002
- Pope, C. N., Bell, T. R., & Stavrinos, D. (2017). Mechanisms behind distracted driving behavior: The role of age and executive function in the engagement of distracted driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 98, 123-129. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.030