Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, was named assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine.
“I’m so excited for this new adventure. The scientific and professional opportunities are thrilling, and the company couldn’t be better,” said Dr. Stites. “It’s a privilege to have the chance to help improve care and quality of life for persons with Alzheimer’s.”
Dr. Stites came to the Penn Memory Center as a senior research investigator and Clark Scholar for a group now called the Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB) led by PMC co-director Jason Karlawish, MD.
“I’m thrilled Shana is joining the faculty at Penn. Her tremendous skills and talents will accelerate cutting edge and creative research at the intersections of aging, mental health, and the social sciences,” said Dr. Karlawish. “My colleague, David Wolk, and I at the Penn Memory Center are excited about working with her on the many opportunities for cross-departmental collaborations.”
Dr. Stites’ work focuses on advancing diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease dementia and understanding ways to promote quality of life and psychological well-being for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones. Her goal is to better understand how aspects of identity, such as age, gender, and race, determine the disease experience. She hopes that understanding these features of the disease experience will offer insights into the development of interventions that limit burdens of the disease.
In her role as assistant professor, Dr. Stites will be engaged in clinical care and research. Dr. Stites is also a mentor for Penn undergraduate and graduate students.