Dr. Frank Puga is an assistant professor in the Department of Acute, Chronic, and Continuing Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing. He received his Ph.D. in psychology with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin. His research program focuses on the stress and mental health profiles of older adults living with chronic illness and their care partners. Dr. Puga’s lab uses multi-time scale designs and applies structural equation modeling, multi-level modeling, and group-based trajectory modeling a) to examine inter-and intra-individual variations in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, b) to identify psychosocial, cultural, behavioral, and biological factors that increase resilience to stress and improve quality and c) to develop and test resilience-based interventions that reduce stress and the burden of age-related diseases of individuals living with dementia and their care partners. Much of Dr. Puga’s work focuses on minoritized populations disproportionately impacted by dementia, including Hispanics and LGBTQ+ populations. Dr. Puga completed a diversity supplement from the National Institute of Aging that examined relationships between contextual factors, such as caregiving stress and available social support, and psychological distress that dementia care partners experience on a daily basis. Dr. Puga is the PI on an R01 from the National Institute on Aging examining stress, resilience, cultural factors, and daily and long-term mental health patterns among Hispanic dementia caregivers. The main goal of Dr. Puga’s work is to understand which caregivers, under what circumstances, are more likely to shift from mild psychological distress to severe psychopathology. Ultimately, this work will inform the development of resilience-based interventions that are culturally responsive and tailored to the unique needs of Hispanic dementia care partners.
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing.