Expert: Amy L. Ai

Distinguished Research Professor, College of Social Work

Amy L. Ai, Ph.D., MSW, MS, MA, is a Professor of Social Work/SW and is affiliated with the Colleges of Medicine and Nursing and Institute for Successful Longevity, Florida State University.

Dr. Ai earned three Masters and a joint Psychology-SW Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, followed by post-doctoral training(National Institutes of Health/NIH). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on physical and behavioral health, aging, health disparity, trauma, human strengths, and spirituality, leading to numerous first-author publications.

She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association of Psychological Science, and Gerontological Society of America; John A. Hartford Geriatric Faculty Scholar; Delegate/Representative of Academic Settings to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging; and Fulbright Scholar.

She is the PI/Co-PI of multiple projects, funded by Federal, State, and private foundations and is a Scientific Reviewer for national, international, and private funding agencies (e.g., Departments of State, Defense, and Health and Human Services, Patient-Centered Outcome Research Institute, NIH, and major funders in Canada, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong-China).

She a recipient of the Outstanding Science Award(APA Trauma Psychology) and the Distinguished Health Psychology Award(IAAP). Her seminal tool book, “Assessing Spirituality in a Diversified World” (2020, peer-reviewed), is currently the only book on this topic, involving 40+ interdisciplinary scholars around the globe.