Dr. Bowen is a social gerontologist with interests in efficacy trials of health care technologies to inform translational research and system-wide implementation and health disparities research. Dr. Bowen received her PhD in the Sociology of Aging and Population Health from Virginia Tech and has a Certificate in Gerontology and Race and Social Policy. Using secondary databases, Dr. Bowen has examined how social determinants of health affect cognitive and physical functioning trajectories across the life span. In her VA Career Development Award, Dr. Bowen utilized innovative real-time tracking technology to show how intra-individual changes in ambulation characteristics are associated with imminent falls in a vulnerable population of older adults. In the School of Nursing at the University of Delaware, Dr. Bowen is funded by a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development award to continue this work, specifically focusing on the development of tailored nursing interventions for institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment.
