Julie Patrick

Julie Patrick is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, within the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. She specializes in life-span developmental psychology with a focus on adult development, aging, cognitive aging, decision-making, and health disparities, particularly in rural Appalachia. She leads the Healthy Aging Lab and serves as Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded AGE-ADAR Scholars Program, a $1.8 million initiative to diversify aging research. Her work integrates family dynamics, emotional well-being, spirituality, and intervention design.

Her research interests span adult development, cognitive aging, decision-making, health promotion, rural health, intergenerational caregiving, and dementia care. She emphasizes integrative approaches, combining physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of well-being. Her lab actively develops and tests interventions, including awe-induction studies and Appalachia-themed activities for persons with dementia. She also focuses on methodological rigor, utilizing SEM, HLM, GEE, and LGCM in longitudinal and experience sampling studies.

The recent publications from her lab reflect a strong trend in health disparities, spirituality and aging, fear of dementia, caregiving dynamics, and innovative data collection methods. These works are published in journals such as the International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Journal of Adult Development, and Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, indicating a multidisciplinary approach to aging research.

• Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America
• Editor, International Journal of Aging and Human Development (Sage Publishing)
• Regular reviewer for National Science Foundation and National Institute on Aging
• Principal Investigator, R25 AGE-ADAR Scholars Program
• Co-investigator on multiple WVU Community Engagement and Innovation Summit grants

Dr. Patrick advises multiple doctoral students in the Healthy Aging Lab, including Payton Radcliffe, Claire Heilman, S. Alison Bolling, and Carly E. Pullen. Her former students, such as Laura Bernstein, Michaela Clark, Abigail Nehrkorn-Bailey, and Amy Knepple Carney, have secured academic positions, reflecting her strong mentorship record. She has secured over $285,000 in external research funding and more than $30,000 for teaching support. Her lab fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion, aligning with institutional initiatives.

The Healthy Aging Lab is an active research group focused on improving lives across the lifespan. It values integration across domains, pursuit of knowable truths through scientific rigor, and strategic use of time. The lab engages in projects on awe, dementia care, opioid treatment, and caregiver well-being, often in collaboration with social work, neuroscience, and community partners. It emphasizes professional development, methodological training, and dissemination to both academic and public audiences.