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Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences

Olivio Clay

Olivio Clay.

Professor
Director, Developmental Psychology This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CH 321
(205) 934-2728

Research Interests: Racial/ethnic health disparities within older adults, caregiving, social support, diabetes, healthcare utilization, advanced statistical methods, mobility and cognition in older adults

Office Hours: By appointment

Education:

  • B.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology
  • M.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology, Gerontology Certificate
  • Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Psychology (Development)

My research focuses on addressing issues related to successful aging, and I have a specific interest in health disparities. My undergraduate and doctoral training sparked my interests in several aspects of aging, including: racial/ethnic disparities in health, family caregiving, social support, health care access and utilization, cognition, and mobility. You can learn more about my recent work with Alzheimer’s patients in this article in the Birmingham Times.

My research objectives within the field of health disparities include examining racial disparities on numerous outcomes including, but not limited to:

  1. physical and mental health in older adults and
  2. exploring racial differences in caregiver resilience in response to the stressors associated with caregiving.

Disparities have previously been identified in these areas, but the focus of my research is on (a) charting the longitudinal trajectories of these outcomes, (b) identifying factors such as social support, healthcare utilization, and perceived discrimination that may explain or mediate racial differences, and (c) developing targeted interventions to reduce disparities.

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  • Recent Courses
    • PY 216: Elementary Statistical Methods and Design
    • PY 315: Methods in Psychological Research
    • PY 716: Introduction to Graduate Statistics
  • Select Publications
    • Clay, O. J., Thorpe Jr., R. J., Wilkinson, L. L., Plaisance, E. P., Crowe, M., Sawyer, P., & Brown, C. J. (2015). An examination of lower extremity function and its correlates in older African American and Caucasian male Medicare Beneficiaries. Ethnicity & Disease, 25, 271-278.
    • Ejem, D.B., Drentea, P., & Clay, O.J. (2015). The effects of caregiver emotional stress on the depressive symptomalogy of the care recipient. Aging and Mental Health, 19(1), 55-62.
    • Clay, O.J., Grant, J.S., Wadley, V.G., Perkins, M.M., Haley, W.E., & Roth, D.L. (2013). Correlates of health-related quality of life in African American and Caucasian stroke caregivers. Rehabilitation Psychology, 58(1), 28-35.
    • Grant, J.S., Clay, O.J., Keltner, N.L., Haley, W.E., Wadley, V.G., Perkins, M.M., & Roth, D.L. (2013). Does caregiver well-being predict stroke survivor depressive symptoms? A mediation analysis. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation, 20(1), 44-51.
    • Thrasher, A.D., Clay, O.J., Ford, C.L., & Stewart, A.L. (2012). Theory-guided selection of discrimination measures for racial/ethnic health disparities research among older adults. Journal of Aging & Health, 24(6), 1018-1043.
    • Clay, O.J., Roth, D.L., Safford, M.M., Sawyer, P.L., & Allman, R.M. (2011). Predictors of overnight hospital admission in older African American and Caucasian Medicare beneficiaries. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 66(8), 910-916.
    • Crowe, M., Sartori, A., Clay, O.J., Wadley, V.G., Andel, R., Wang, H.-X., Sawyer, P., & Allman, R. (2010). Diabetes and cognitive decline: Investigating the potential influence of factors related to health disparities. Journal of Aging and Health, 22(3), 292-306.
    • Clay, O.J., Roth, D.L., Wadley, V.G., & Haley, W.E. (2008). Changes in Social Support and their Impact on Psychosocial Outcome over a 5-Year Period for African American and White Dementia Caregivers. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(8), 857-862.
  • Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
    • Behavioral and Social Sciences Representative to the Gerontological Society of America Committee on Minority Issues in Gerontology
    • Co-chair Scholar Advisory Group, Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR)
    • Scientist, UAB Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging
    • Scientist, UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center
    • Associate Scientist, UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center
    • Associate Scientist, UAB Comprehensive Neuroscience Center