Faculty
Kathryn Hyer, PhD
On January 1, 2021 we lost our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Kathryn Hyer. Dr. Hyer was Professor and Associate Director in the School of Aging Studies, Director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging, and former President of the Gerontological Society of America, the largest organization centered around the study of aging in the world. Dr. Hyer鈥檚 work was defined by passion and commitment to bettering the lives of older adults, especially vulnerable older adults. Throughout her career, she showed unwavering commitment to improving long-term care, whether in terms of quality of care, staffing levels, or patient culture; she was one of the most recognized advocates in the world with respect to disaster preparedness in long-term facilities. She worked tirelessly to promote geriatric education across health care disciplines such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy.
Dr. Hyer鈥檚 scientific work resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and was supported by millions of dollars in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health Resources and Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies. In 2006, she was recognized as the 鈥淯SF Million Dollar Researcher鈥�.. In 2019, her many scientific accomplishments helped her receiv