Nancy Karlin

Nancy Karlin is a tenured Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Northern Colorado, affiliated with the School of Psychological Sciences within the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from Colorado State University, an M.A. from Fort Hays State University, and a B.A. from Evangel University.

Educational Background:

• Ph.D., Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• M.A., Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
• B.A., Evangel University, Springfield, MO

Dr. Karlin's research spans four decades, focusing on familial caregiving for Alzheimer's patients, resilience in aging populations, and cross-national aging perceptions. Her work with Hispanic families highlights disparities in service use and the role of spirituality in caregiving. She has conducted psychosocial studies on aging adults affected by natural disasters, including the L’Aquila earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, and earthquakes in Peru, examining rhetorical resilience and community recovery.

Her cross-national framework, developed with Dr. Joyce Weil since 2011, includes data from Italy, the U.S., Thailand, Botswana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tunisia, and China. She also pioneered rural aging research in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, creating the Older Adult Service Usage Assessment (OASUA) tool to evaluate healthcare access in frontier communities.

Recent Publications address rural healthcare disparities, telemedicine adoption, post-pandemic service delivery models, and mindfulness in emerging adults. Her 2023-2025 works appear in journals like Journal of Aging and Social Policy, Activities, Adaptation, and Aging, and Psychological Reports, with impact factors ranging from 1.0 to 7.8.

Scientific Awards:

• M. Lucille Harrison Award (2025)

Dr. Karlin actively collaborates with national and international researchers, serves as Co-Program Manager (2024-2025) and Convention Coordinator (2008-2024) for the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, and contributes to pandemic healthcare policy frameworks.