Description of Research Expertise

Shana D. Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. As a clinical psychologist and researcher with the Penn Project on Precision Medicine for the Brain (P3MB), Dr. Stites’ research focuses on advancing diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease dementia. The goal is to understand ways to promote quality of life and psychological wellbeing. This includes understanding the impacts of the disease on individuals who may be directly affected by
pathology as well as their family members. As part of this work, Dr. Stites has a special focus on better understanding how aspects of identity, such as age, gender, and race, operate as determinants in the disease experience. Understanding these features of the disease experience may offer insights into disease-mechanisms and into development of
interventions that help limit burdens of the disease.

Dr. Stites is a graduate of the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA’s) Butler-Williams Scholars Program, has a master’s of arts in sociology from Lehigh University, and earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Chestnut Hill College with a concentration in psychological assessment and special focus on the role of multicultural diversity in clinical practice and representation in research. Dr. Stites clinical training includes completion of a doctoral internship at Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA and post-doctoral training in the Penn Memory Center and Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

Selected Publications

Stites SD, Midgett S, Largent EA, Harkins K, Sankar P, Krieger A, Sankar P, Brown L.: Deconstructing Alzheimer’s Stigma: Gender identities correspond with patterns of internalization and judgment The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: Open Science, Education, and Practice 5 : 63-75,2025.

Amin V, Behrman JR, Fletcher JM, Flores CA, Flores-Lagunes A, Kohler I, Kohler HP, Stites SD.: Causal Effects of Schooling on Memory at Older Ages in Six Low-and-Middle-Income Countries: Nonparametric Evidence with Harmonized Datasets The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences (Advanced Online Copy) : 2025.

Stites SD, Kuz C, Halberstadter K, Humphreys V, & Mechanic-Hamilton D.: Childhood Caregiver Educational Attainment, Intergenerational Social Mobility, and Alzheimer’s Risk International Neuropsychological Society (INS) Annual Meeting New Orleans, Louisiana, USA : 2025.

Stites SD, Schumann R, Kuz C, Harkins K, Largent E, Krieger A, Sankar P, Zuelsdorff M.: Are Knowledge and Interpersonal Contact Cures for Alzheimer’s Stigma? Data From Caregivers Offer Clues Stigma and Health : 2025.

Morris JC, Stites SD, et al.: Enhancing participation of historically minoritized groups in Alzheimer's disease and related dementia research: National conference report Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association : 2025.

Erickson CM, Clapp J, Gupta A, Kleid M, Harkins K, Stites SD, Peterson AH, Karlawish J, Largent EA.: What’s in a name? Terms persons supporting people living with MCI or dementia use to describe their role Alzheimer's & Dementia 20 (S4): e085241,2024.

Stites SD.: Ideas We Should Steal The Age of Aging, Penn Medicine Podcast : 2024.

Stites SD, Midgett S, Myers N, Kuz C, Halberstadter K, Humphreys V, & Mechanic-Hamilton D.: Beyond Years of Education: Some Childhood Schooling Experiences Explain Cognitive and Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker Outcomes, Chicago, Illinois, USA AAIC Advancements: Exploring Equity in Diagnosis : 2024.

Stites SD, Midgett S, Largent EA, Harkins K, Schumann S, Sankar P, Krieger A: A Survey Study of Alzheimer's Stigma among Black Adults: Intersectionality of Black Identity and Biomarker Diagnosis Ethnicity and Health 29 (8): 946-962,2024.

S.D. Stites: Alzheimer’s stigma: a gamut of social group attitudes affecting healthcare access, diagnosis confidence, and caregivers’ efforts World Alzheimer Report 2024: Global changes in attitudes to dementia : 129-131,2024.

Academic Contact Information

Ralston House, Suite 214
3615 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104