Denise L. Orwig

Dr. Denise L. Orwig is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she serves as Interim Division Director of Gerontology. With over 25 years of research experience, she directs the Baltimore Hip Studies (BHS), a comprehensive research program dedicated to optimizing recovery from hip fracture through collaboration with 25 hospitals in the Baltimore-Washington region.

Dr. Orwig earned her B.S. in Psychology/Business from the University of Pittsburgh (1989), M.S. in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins University (1993), and Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Gerontology from The Pennsylvania State University (1998).

Her research focuses on two primary areas: (1) biobehavioral aspects of hip fracture recovery, where she has led eight cohort studies involving over 3,500 hip fracture patients and four randomized trials; and (2) pharmacoepidemiology of medication management in older adults, where she developed the Medication Management Instrument for Deficiencies in the Elderly (MedMaIDE). Her work employs longitudinal research methods, intervention development, and translation of evidence-based practices into community settings. Dr. Orwig's research has revealed significant sex differences in hip fracture outcomes, developed instruments for assessing medication management capabilities, and established connections between inflammatory biomarkers and mortality.

Dr. Orwig has received numerous honors including the Health Science Section Fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America (2014) and multiple Outstanding Mentor Awards from her department (2008, 2013) and the University System of Maryland (2015). She has been recognized for her pre-doctoral and postdoctoral research training through awards from the National Institute on Aging and National Research Service Award programs.

As an educator, Dr. Orwig has co-directed the joint campus Doctoral Program in Gerontology with UMBC for six years, mentoring numerous doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. She has secured substantial NIH funding for her research, including serving as Director of the Clinical Coordinating Center for a Phase III RCT testing physical therapy interventions post hip fracture. Her work bridges clinical care, research methodology, and community implementation to improve outcomes for older adults recovering from hip fractures.

Dr. Orwig leads the Baltimore Hip Studies research program, which involves interdisciplinary teams across multiple institutions and hospitals. Her work integrates epidemiological methods with clinical gerontology to address complex issues in aging, fracture recovery, and medication management for older adults.