Molly Perkins

Molly Perkins is an Associate Professor in the Emory School of Medicine, with affiliations in the Department of Sociology as a graduate faculty member and the School of Nursing as an adjunct professor. She holds a joint appointment as a Research Health Scientist at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, serving as Atlanta Site Director for the Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). Her primary research focuses on social determinants of health, aging in minority populations, functional wellness, and HIV/AIDS in older adults.

Dr. Perkins earned a PhD (2002), MA (1997) from Georgia State University, and a BA (1981) from the University of Mississippi. She co-directs the NIH Roybal Center for Dementia Caregiving Mastery and the Emory NIH Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) HIV and Aging Research Cluster. She also leads the national NIH Inter-CFAR HIV and Aging Working Group and the GSA HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults Interest Group.

Her recent NIH/NIA-funded research investigates informal caregiver roles in end-of-life care for advanced dementia patients in assisted living. Key achievements include grants totaling over $5M and over 80 peer-reviewed publications. Awards include National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities Scholar and GSA Fellow distinctions.

Labs/teams: Active leadership in multiple interdisciplinary research networks including VA GRECC, Roybal Center, and CFAR HIV Aging Cluster. Current research emphasizes translational studies linking social-behavioral science with clinical geriatric care models.