Fellows

Karen Fredriksen Goldsen, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of Healthy Generations at the University of Washington. Dr. Goldsen is a nationally and internationally recognized scholar addressing equity and the intersections of aging, health, and well-being in resilient, at-risk communities. With over 20 years of consecutive external funding, she was named as a PBS’s inaugural Next Avenue’s Top 50 Influencer in Aging for her innovative scholarship, teaching and community engagement. Characterized as a “world leader” in health and longevity research, she is Principal Investigator of two federally funded studies. Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (R01), the first national longitudinal study of LGBT midlife and older adult health to assess trajectories in these communities. She is also Principal Investigator of Coming Out for Brain Health: Reducing Disability in Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Impairment among LGBTQ Older Adults and Caregivers (R01), the first federally funded study of cognitive impairment in sexual and gender minority communities. She is also Investigator on Rainbow Ageing: 1st National Survey of the Health and Well-Being of Older LGBTI Australians, investigating pathways for evidence-based policy and practice initiatives. Dr. Goldsen is the author of more than 100 publications in leading journals, three books, and invitational presentations at U.S. White House conferences and Congressional Briefings, Institute of Medicine, a United Nations conference, and numerous others. Her research has been cited by the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, NBC News, Forbes, Washington Post, as well as more than 50 international news outlets. Dr. Goldsen has received many awards for her groundbreaking work, including University of Washington’s Distinguished Teaching Award and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. She is founder of Generations Aging with Pride, GSA Rainbow Research Group, and Shanti/Seattle. She received her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley.