Faculty & Staff
Lampe, Nik, PhD
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Dr. Lampe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy and a Faculty Affiliate in the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. Their research program focuses on the behavioral health disparities of LGBTQIA+ aging populations and the health of diverse older adults living with dementia and their family care partners. They are also core faculty with the African American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS2), a Florida-based program that offers free skills-building and support services to caregivers of loved ones with dementia. Dr. Lampe is currently PI of a 3-year grant from the Alzheimer’s Association (AARFD-23-1145127) examining Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk and protective factors among LGBTQ+ older adults in the US South. They also serve as an advisor for the University of Tampa’s CAPACS accredited Applied Sociology Program and are active in the University of Tampa Alumni Association.
Education
2023 - Postdoctoral Fellowship - Aging and Public Health - Vanderbilt University
2022 - PhD - Sociology - University of South Carolina
2019 - MA - Applied Sociology - University of Central Florida
2016 - BA - Sociology, with Honors, University of Tampa
Research Interests
LGBTQIA+ Health and Healthcare; Mixed Methods/Qualitative Research; Dementia Care and Caregiving; Behavioral Health Equity; Community-Engaged Interventions; Aging and Older Adulthood
Recent Awards & Honors
2023 - GSA Diversity Mentoring and Career Development Technical Assistance Workshop
Diversity Fellow Award - The Gerontological Society of America
2023 - Butler-Williams Scholars Program - National Institute on Aging - National Institutes
of Health
2023 - Scholarly Contributions to Teaching and Learning Award - Teaching and Learning in Sociology Section - American Sociological Association
2023 - Alzheimer's Association Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute - Alzheimer's Association
Effects of Care and Caregiver Support on ADRD Risk of LGBTQ+ Older Adults
Dr. Lampe leads a 3-year Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship to Promote Diversity grant (AARFD-23-1145127) from the Alzheimer’s Association. In this study, Dr. Lampe examines measures of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk and protective factors, LGBTQ+-affirming care, and caregiver support among a cohort of LGBTQ+ older adults in the US South (N=1,256) using Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS) panel data. VUSNAPS (PI McKay; R01AG063771) is a one-of-a-kind longitudinal survey of LGBTQ+ adults 50+ and is the best possible resource that currently exists to examine the associations at a single cross section and over time among chronic stress, structural factors, caregiver and social support, LGBTQ+-affirming care, and cognitive decline among older LGBTQ+ adults. This research will address gaps in knowledge about risk and protective factors for ADRD among LGBTQ+ older adults in the US South. Understanding the role identity-affirming providers and caregivers may have on ADRD risk and protective factors is critical to reducing ADRD health disparities and developing targeted prevention strategies for LGBTQ+ older adults and other understudied communities in ADRD research.
Healthy Aging Beyond Sex and Gender Binaries
Using data from 50 semi-structured interviews, Dr. Lampe is currently examining how transgender, non-binary and intersex older adults – as a medically and socially vulnerable population in the United States – navigate mental healthcare, advance care planning, and health inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their research findings indicated a need for enhancing behavioral healthcare services and resources for transgender, non-binary, and intersex older adults, while creating a culture of age-friendly and affirming care.
African American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS2)
In collaboration with community and academic partners, Dr. Lampe works with the African American Alzheimer’s Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS2), a Florida-based program that offers free skills-building and support services to caregivers of loved ones with dementia and other interested parties. ACTS2’s program of services includes: (1) telephone-based, faith-integrated, group skills building and support for distressed African American caregivers of older adults with dementia residing in Florida, (2) telephone-based, problem-solving consultations to all dementia caregivers across the U.S., (3) telephone-based, nationwide referral to dementia care resources for all interested individuals across the U.S., and (4) dementia awareness training through social media and in-person presentations across Florida and the U.S.
Regarding recent research projects, Dr. Lampe and ACTS2 colleagues have examined Black family care partners’ perspectives for supplementary dementia education to optimize group process and implementation skills in ACTS2’s 12-session, telephone-based, dementia caregiver training and support program. They have also conducted an initial evaluation of the ACTS2 pilot study, which investigated how effective the initial stage of the ACTS2 12-session program was in reducing depression and improving mental health status among Black dementia caregivers in Florida.
For more information about ACTS2’s program of services or donating to ACTS2, please contact Ms. Tomeka Norton-Brown at tnnorton@fsu.edu or 866-778-2724 (toll-free).
Effects of Social Networks and Policy Context on Health among Older Sexual and Gender Minorities in the US South (Diversity Mentoring Supplement)
Dr. Lampe recently completed a 1-year Diversity Mentoring Supplement award in collaboration with Vanderbilt University colleagues to further (a) enhance training opportunities early-career researchers; (b) improve diversity and inclusion of sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) older adults in aging research; (c) extend the impact of NIH investments in the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS); and (d) provide funding to collect and analyze biomarker data for VUSNAPS (PI McKay; R01AG063771).
Recent Publications
Lampe NM, Barbee H, Tran NM, Bastow S, McKay T. Health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer older adults: A structural competency approach. Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2023. doi: 10.1177/00914150231171838
Lampe NM. Liminal lives in uncertain times: health management during the COVID-19 pandemic among transgender and non-binary older adults. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2022 Sep;8:1-8. PMC9515753
Glueckauf RL, Kazmer MM, Nowakowski ACH, Wang Y, Thelusma N, Williams D, McGill-Scarlett C, Lampe NM, Norton-Brown T, Davis WS, Sharma D, Willis FB. African American Alzheimer's Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS2) pilot study: Outcomes analysis. Rehabil Psychol. 2022 Nov;67(4):437-48. PMID: 36355638.
Lampe NM, Desai N, Norton-Brown T, Nowakowski ACH, Glueckauf RL. African American lay pastoral care facilitators’ perspectives on dementia caregiver education and training. The Qualitative Report. 2022 Feb; 27(2):324-39. doi: 10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4917.
For a complete list of published work:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/nik.lampe.2/bibliography/public/
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