Kara Dassel

Kara Dassel, Ph.D., FGSA, FAGHE, is a Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah, where she has held academic positions since 2013, progressing from Associate Professor (Clinical) to her current Professor role.

Her educational background includes:

• BA in Psychology from Taylor University, Upland, IN (2002)
• PhD in Gerontology from University of Kentucky, Lexington (2007)
• Postdoctoral fellowship in Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ (2009)

Dassel's research program centers on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, with particular emphasis on advance care planning and caregiver health outcomes. She developed the innovative LEAD Guide (Life-Planning in Early Alzheimer's and Other Dementias), which serves as the foundation for an NIH-funded clinical trial promoting engagement in advance care planning for community-based dyads. Her work demonstrates that dementia caregivers experience significantly accelerated frailty compared to non-dementia caregivers, with 40.5% higher odds of increased frailty at the time of care-recipient death and 90% higher odds two years later.

Dassel has received multiple prestigious recognitions for her contributions to gerontology:

• Fellow, University of Utah Academy of Health Science Educators (2020)
• Fellow, Gerontological Society of America (2017)
• Fellow, Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (2016)
• Faculty Member, Sigma Phi Omega (2014)

Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained research leadership, including the current "LEADING END-OF-LIFE DEMENTIA CARE CONVERSATIONS" (2022-2027) and "GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM/UTAH GERIATRIC EDUCATION CONSORTIUM RENEWAL" (2023-2024). She actively mentors through Master's project supervision and teaches courses in Social and Public Aging.

Community engagement is central to Dassel's work; she serves on the professional advisory board of the Utah Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, the Utah Commission on Aging, and the Utah Department of Health Alzheimer's Disease Coordinating Council, directly translating research into policy and practice improvements for aging populations.