María Aranda, one of the nation’s leading experts in the study of adults living with medical, functional and psychiatric illnesses, has been appointed the executive director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. Named for the late Rep. Edward R. Roybal, the institute’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for older adults and persons aging with disabilities through research, innovation and advocacy.

“It’s an honor to lead an institute founded by one of the great political and public health leaders of our time,” said Aranda, an associate professor with joint appointments at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “We will continue to honor the Roybal legacy by engaging in scientific discoveries that have direct and timely benefits to older adults and their families facing such challenges as depression, memory loss, chronic medical conditions, poverty and stress due to family caregiving.”

“I have great confidence in María Aranda’s capacity to lead the USC Roybal Institute and implement the vision of research and community engagement inspired by the late Rep. Edward R. Roybal’s life and leadership,” said Marilyn L. Flynn, dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. “She is nationally recognized for her expertise, locally admired for the quality of her community relationships, and deeply respected by her peers at USC. I look forward to a period of exceptional accomplishment.”

Aranda, who began her new position in January of this year, takes over from William Vega, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine who served as executive director of the institute from 2010 to 2017. Vega is now an emeritus professor at USC.

A leader in transformative research

Aranda is in the vanguard of scientists in social work and gerontology who link research and practice by bringing rigorously tested psychosocial interventions to persons and families facing barriers to quality care. She developed the first Spanish-language support group for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and implemented depression care programs for low-income adults with multiple health and psychiatric conditions.

Her expertise is widely sought after by prominent organizations, societies and community agencies on matters related to sociobehavioral clinical trials, geriatric workforce development, and cultural/linguistic adaptations of evidence-based interventions. She has served on four consensus committees of the National Academy of Sciences, which informed national policies on geriatric workforce development, family caregiving to older adults, assessments of financial and functional capacity of Social Security Administration beneficiaries and functional assessments for adults with disabilities.

Aranda has received funding for her research from several major entities including the National Institute on Aging, National Cancer Institute, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, The John A. Hartford Foundation/The Gerontological Society of America, the National Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, the Alzheimer’s Association/Health Resources and Services Administration, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the California Community Foundation.

Serving the community where she grew up

In addition to her faculty appointments at USC, Aranda is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience providing psychotherapeutic services to adults. She is well known among community leaders for establishing model programs such as the El Portal Latino Alzheimer’s Project, Programa Esperanza and Siempre Viva for individuals and families in greater Los Angeles affected by depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

Aranda earned both her MSW ‘82 and PhD ‘95 from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She credits her Latina heritage and close relationship to her grandparents as influencing her decision to seek a career in social work and dedicating her scholarship to historically underserved communities.

She is a fellow of The Gerontological Society of America and serves on the AARP Caregiving Advisory Panel, the Medical and Scientific Advisory Council of Alzheimer’s Greater Los Angeles, and the Board of Directors of St. Barnabas Senior Services in Los Angeles.