Joel G. Anderson, PhD, CHTP, FGSA, is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and a certificate in Advanced Clinical Dementia Practice from the University of Michigan. Joel completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral research fellowship in the conduct of clinical research at the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies at the University of Virginia. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Centre for Age-Related Medicine at Helse Stavanger in Stavanger, Norway.
Joel’s research program focuses on non-pharmacological interventions for symptom management and caregiver support in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care. This focus includes an exploration of the psychosocial impacts of dementia caregiving to develop person- and family-centered strategies to alleviate caregiver strain and improve quality of life. He is currently involved in several studies to examine family quality of life in dementia and issues related to caregiving, including the use of social media as part of the family caregiving experience and the unique needs of the LGBTQ+ caregiver population and older adults. Joel has received funding from the National Institute on Aging, the Pat Summitt Foundation, and the Kavli Foundation. He also consults with the Inova Health System on the use of integrative medicine and holistic approaches to nursing care. Joel has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles in numerous academic journals, including The Gerontologist, the Journal of Aging and Health, Research in Gerontological Nursing, Brain Research, the Journal of Holistic Nursing, and the Journal of Family Nursing. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Family Nursing.
Joel is an elected fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and received the 2021 Innovative Contribution to Family Nursing Award from the International Family Nursing Association. He is an active member of the International Dementia Scholars Collaborative and the International Family Nursing Association, as well as the Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society and the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. He serves as a peer reviewer for the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, the National Institutes of Health, the Tri-Services Nursing Research Program, the Dementia Australia Research Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Singapore Ministry of Health. Joel is editor of the International Family Nursing Association blog, co-chair of the Communications Committee for the International Family Nursing Association, and Secretary of the International Dementia Scholars Collaborative. He also is the current President of Healing Beyond Borders, an international non-profit integrative health organization. Joel currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the Knox County Council on Aging.
For over 15 years, Joel has been actively involved in efforts related to multicultural diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a doctoral student at UNCG, he was a member of the Inclusive Community Initiative Task Force of the Faculty Senate. While at UVA, Joel was a member of the School of Nursing Diversity Committee, the UVA Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Planning Committee, and co-chaired the UVA Health System MLK Sub-Committee. In 2016, Joel received the UVA Health System Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in recognition of his work related to diversity and inclusion. Joel recently served as a member of the UTK Faculty Senate, including co-chairing the Faculty Senate Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He currently serves on the UTK Scholarship Diversity Analysis Committee and the UTK Taskforce on Naming, as well as a member of the College of Nursing Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. He has previously served as co-chair and a member of the UTK Chancellor’s Commission for LGBT People and a member of the University of Tennessee Strategic Visioning Executive Committee.