Karlene K. Ball

Karlene K. Ball is a University Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She holds multiple leadership positions including Director of the UAB Edward R. Roybal Center for Research on Applied Gerontology and Associate Director of the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging. Her academic credentials include a B.A. from Indiana University, M.S. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University, and postdoctoral training at Northwestern.

Dr. Ball's research focuses on psychological aspects of aging and gerontology, particularly developing interventions to mitigate age-related functional declines. Her work has been recognized with a prestigious M.E.R.I.T. award from the NIH.

She maintains active research roles across multiple centers including the Vision Research Center, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, and Center for Exercise Medicine. Dr. Ball previously chaired the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Technical Group on Aging and serves on the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council.