Dr. Karen Schlag joined UTMB’s Center for Violence Prevention as a postdoctoral fellow in 2022 and, in 2023, joined
Dr. Monique Pappadis’ National Institute on Aging-funded research team, where she currently serves as a co-investigator, helping to develop and test an elder mistreatment screening tool and support intervention for older
adults with cognitive impairment and their family caregivers. Before joining UTMB, she earned her PhD in
Communication Studies with a portfolio in Aging and Health from The University of Texas at Austin. Her
research has focused on dementia caregiving, health communication, hospice decision-making, and supporting
family caregivers of older adults.
Her current research aims to identify practical, sustainable ways to reduce
caregiver burden and improve care for older adults, particularly those
living with dementia. She is leading a feasibility study supported by the UT
Health Houston Roybal Center and the National Institute on Aging and
collaborates with other UTMB scientists on projects as part of the Texas
Healthy Aging and Technology Initiative. Her work has been published in
several peer-reviewed journals focused on aging, caregiving, and health
communication.