Karen A. Roberto, Ph.D. is a University Distinguished Professor, Senior Fellow, Center for Gerontology, Director of the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment at Virginia Tech. She holds secondary appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health and social support in late life and includes studies of the health of rural older women, family relationships and caregiving, and elder abuse. Much of Dr. Roberto’s research relies on the construction of surveys for use with community-based samples, combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and often includes interviews with older adults, family members, and formal service providers. She as a long history of working successfully with community partners, including hospitals, health clinics, senior housing, and community services as well as churches and other private organizations to promote research, evaluation, and practice initiatives and address issues that influence the quality of life of older adults. She has published over 170 scholarly articles and book chapters and is editor/author of 11 books. Dr. Roberto is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Gerontological Society of America, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the National Council on Family Relations. She is the recipient of the Gerontological Society of America Behavioral and Social Sciences Distinguished Mentorship Award and the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Excellence in Research.