Thomas Oltmanns

Thomas Oltmanns is a Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences and Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, holding the Edgar James Swift Professorship in Arts and Sciences. His primary affiliation is with the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, located at Somers Family Hall on the university’s St. Louis campus. He earned his BA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his PhD from Stony Brook University.

His research focuses on personality assessment, personality pathology, and their impact on health and social functioning, particularly in aging populations. Central to his work is the SPAN Study, a longitudinal investigation tracking 1,600 individuals aged 55–64 to understand how personality traits and disorders influence adaptation to later-life challenges. This study also examines racial health disparities and intergenerational transmission of stress and health outcomes across three generations, collaborating with researchers like Ryan Bogdan and Jennifer Tackett.

His publications explore topics like personality pathology’s role in cognitive decline, racial health disparities linked to stress, and the effects of personality disorders on intimate relationships. Oltmanns emphasizes methodologies combining self-reports, informant perspectives, and biomarkers to address gaps in understanding health inequities and personality dynamics.

Collaborations include projects on cumulative stress’s role in inflammation disparities and mechanisms perpetuating health inequities across generations. His work bridges clinical psychology, gerontology, and public health, aiming to improve interventions for aging populations and vulnerable communities.