Sanders-Brown Faculty

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Deborah D. Danner, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Departmental Affiliation(s):

Behavioral Science/Family Practice and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging

Research Focus:

Dr. Danner is a developmental psychologist with an interest in the arousal and expression of basic emotional states and how the emotional lives of the elderly affect their quality of life. Her research has focused on how positive emotional expression enhances longevity and how normal aging and degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s alter emotional arousal and expression. The long-term goals of her studies have been to provide an understanding of what arouses emotion so as to increase the positive emotions of happiness, amusement and interest and enhance the relationship between patients and those who provide care. Dr. Danner participated in a multi-site NIA funded research project that examined ethical issues involved in informing patients with diminished capacity of the risks and benefits of research participation. She was the principal investigator of an Administration of Aging grant to increase awareness of the signs of dementia and the utilization of diagnostic and family services in the African-American population in the Lexington Bluegrass area. Dr. Danner is currently the leader for the Education Core of the NIA funded Alzheimer's Disease Center.

Recent Publications:

Stocking, C., Hougham, G., Whitehouse, P., Danner, D, Patterson, M. & Sachs, G. (2007). “Empirical assessment of a research advance directive for persons with dementia and their proxies". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 55:1609-1612.

Stocking, C., Hougham, G., Danner, D., Whitehouse, P. & Sachs, G. “Variable Judgments of Decisional Capacity in Cognitively Impaired Research Subjects.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56 (10):1893-1897, 2008.

Campbell, K., Stocking, C., Hougham, G., Whitehouse, P., Danner, D. & Sachs, G. “Dementia, Diagnostic Disclosure and Self-Reported Health Status,” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56 (2): 296-300, 2008.

Danner, D., Smith D., Jessa, P. & Hudson, J.  “African Americans with Memory Loss: Findings from a Community Clinic in Lexington, Ky., Nursing Clinics of North America, 43: 437-447, 2008.

            Hughes, T.B., Tyler, K.M. & Danner, D.D.  “African American Caregivers: An Exploration of Pathways and Barriers to a Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease for a Family Member with Dementia.”  Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice.” In Press, 2008.

Danner, D., Friesen, W. & Collier, S.  “Personal Narratives, Positive Emotions and Longer Lives:  The Nun Study.”  Positive Psychology Perspectives Series, Shane Lopez (Ed.), Praeger: Westpoint, CT: Volume Two: 21-36, 2008.