Ph.D., Medical Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1997
Clinical Internship, Medical Psychology, Duke University Medical Center, 1996-97
Postdoctoral Fellow, Behavioral Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 1997-98
Postdoctoral Training and Instructor, Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology,
University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1998-99

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Dr. Virginia Wadley, a licensed clinical psychologist, is Director of the, Dementia Care Research Program in the Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine,and Assistant Director of the, Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility at UAB. The Center’s researchers currently are investigating mobility difficulties among older adults and are developing interventions to prevent, delay, and reverse age-related declines in safe mobility. A description of the Center, along with its investigators, resources, and projects, may be found at www.uab.edu/roybal.

Dr. Wadley’s additional research interests include the relationships among depression, cognition, and everyday functioning in older adults; the perceptions and well-being of family caregivers of dementia patients; and the impact of dementia on legal competencies. Dr. Wadley engages in collaborative research primarily funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Wadley’s additional research interests include psychosocial adjustment to illness and disabling conditions; the relationships among depression, cognition, and everyday functioning in older adults; the perceptions and well-being of family caregivers of dementia patients; and the impact of dementia on legal competencies. Dr. Wadley engages in collaborative research primarily funded by the National Institute on Aging.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS:

Wadley, V.G. & Haley, W.E. (2001). Diagnostic attributions versus labeling: Impact of Alzheimer’s disease and Major Depression diagnoses on the emotions, beliefs, and helping intentions of family members. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 56B, P244-P252.

Earnst, K., Wadley, V., Aldridge, T., Steenwyk, A., Hammond, A., Harrell, L., & Marson, D.  (2001).  Loss of financial capacity in Alzheimer’s disease: The role of working memory.  Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 8: 109-118.

Edwards, J., Wadley, V.G., Myers, R.S., Roenker, D.L., Cissell, G., & Ball, K.K (2002). Transfer of a speed of processing intervention to near and far cognitive functions.  Gerontology, 48, 329-340.

Owen, J.E., Roth, D.L., Stevens, A.B., McCarty, H.J., Clay, O.J., Wadley, V.G., Goode, K.T., & Haley, W.E.  (2002).  Association of life events and psychological distress in family caregivers of dementia patients.   Aging and Mental Health, 6, 62-71.

Ball, K.K., Wadley, V.G., & Edwards, J.D. (2002) Advances in technology used to assess and retrain older drivers.  Gerontechnology, 1, 251-261.

Ball, K., Wadley, V., Roenker, D. (2003).  Obstacles to implementing research outcomes in community settings.  The Gerontologist, 43, 29-36.

Froelicher, E.S., Miller, N.H., Buzaitis, A., Pfenninger, P., Misuraco, A., Jordan, S., Ginter, S., Robinson, E., Sherwood, J., & Wadley, V. (2003)  The Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease trial (ENRICHD): strategies and techniques for enhancing retention of patients with acute myocardial infarction and depression or social isolation.  Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 23, 269-280.

Roenker, D.L., Cissell, G.M., Ball, K.K., Wadley, V.G., & Edwards, J.D. (2003).  Speed-of-processing and driving simulator training result in improved driving performance.  Human Factors, 45, 218-233.

Wadley, V.G., Harrell, L., & Marson, D.C. (2003).  Self and informant report of financial abilities in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: reliable and valid?  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51, 1621-1626.

Martin, R.C., Annis, S.M., Zebley, L.A., Wadley, V., Harrell, L., & Marson, D.C.  (2003).  Loss of calculation abilities in patients with mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease.  Archives of Neurology, 60, 1585-1589.

Ball, K.K., Vance, D.E., Edwards, J.D., & Wadley, V.G. (2004). Aging and the brain. In M. Rizzo and P,J. Eslinger (Eds.), Principles and Practice of Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, Elsevier, Inc., pp. 795-809.

Ball, K.K., Wadley, V.G., Vance, D.E., & Edwards, J.D. (2004). Cognitive skills: training, maintenance, and daily usage. In C. Spielberger (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology, Vol. 1. Academic Press, Elsevier Science, pp. 387-392.

Edwards, J.D., Vance, D.E., Wadley, V.G., Cissell, G.M., Roenker, D.L., & Ball, K.K. (2005). Reliability and validity of Useful Field of View test scores as administered by personal computer. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 27, 529-543.

Edwards, J.D., Wadley, V.G., Vance, D.E., Roenker, D.L., & Ball, K.K. (2005). The impact of speed of processing training on cognitive and everyday performance. Aging and Mental Health, 9, 262-271.

Vance, D.E., Wadley, V., Ball, K., Roenker, D., & Rizzo, M. (2005). The effects of physical activity and sedentary behavior on cognitive health in older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 13, 294-313.

Wood, K.M., Edwards, J.D., Clay, O.C., Wadley, V.G., Roenker, D.L., & Ball, K.K. (2005). Sensory and cognitive predictors of functional ability in older adults. Gerontology, 51, 131-141.

Ball, K.K., Roenker, D.L., Wadley, V.G. (in press). Longitudinal assessment of older drivers in a DMV setting. Proceedings of the Third International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training and Vehicle Design.

Ball, K.K., Roenker, D.L., Wadley, V.G., Edwards, J.D., Roth, D.L., McGwin, G. Jr., Raleigh, R., Joyce, J., Cissell, G.M., & Dube, T. (in press). Can high-risk older drivers be identified through performance-based measures in a Department of Motor Vehicles setting? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Ball, K.K., Wadley, V.G., Vance, D.E., & Edwards, J.D. (in press). Does driving benefit quality of life among older drivers? In H-W. Wahl (Eds.) Emergence of New Person-Environment Dynamics in Old Age: A Multidisciplinary Exploration. Baywood Publishing Company.

Clay, O. J., Wadley, V. G., Edwards, J., Roth, D. L., Roenker, D., & Ball, K. K. (in press). The Useful Field of View as a predictor of driving performance in older adults: a cumulative meta-analysis. Optometry & Vision Science.

Vance, D.E., Roenker, D.L., Cissell, G.M., Edwards, J.D., Wadley, V.G., & Ball, K.K. (in press). Predictors of mobility in a field study of older drivers from the state of Maryland. Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Vance, D., Dawson, J., Wadley, V., Edwards, J., Roenker, D., Rizzo, M., & Ball, K. The Accelerate Study: The longitudinal effect of speed of processing training on cognitive performance of older adults. Submitted to Rehabilitation Psychology.

Wadley, V.G., Benz, R.L., Ball, K.K., Roenker, D.L., Edwards, J.D., & Vance, D.E. Development and evaluation of home-based Speed of Processing Training for older adults. Submitted to Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

CLINICAL INTERESTS:

Behavioral medicine, medical psychology, neuropsychology

TEACHING INTERESTS:

Health Psychology, Human Sexuality, Psychology of Aging