Dr. Trudy Gaillard is an Associate Professor at the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Her research trajectory has informed the science of aging and health equity and involves the examination of the ethnic differences in the development of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment.
Dr. Galliard has established her research focus area aimed at increasing our understanding of risk factors associated with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment in older adults. She has used her research expertise to teach proposal development, nursing theory and grant writing in the graduate school. These courses aim to assist students to become critical thinkers in developing their research using evidence-based practices and changing current paradigms.
Currently, she is teaching nursing care of the older adult and senior clinical practicum and providing expertise for Doctoral students. These courses aim to provide senior undergraduate students advance preparation in care of the older adult and leadership skills in various clinical areas.
Dr. Gaillard received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University, her Master of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University, a secondary Master of Science in Health Science from New Jersey City University, and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Exercise Science from Ohia State University.
As an experienced nurse scientist, Dr. Gaillard has received numerous awards, published over 50 journal articles, and completed multiple funded projects.
Recently, she has been awarded a $2.9 Million grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging (NIA) titled, “Florida Registry for Aging Studies” to recruit and retain older African American, Latino/Hispanic, and Caribbean adults into clinical research as recruitment in these groups continues to be a significant challenge.
Dr. Gaillard’s study will explore younger family members' (25-64 years) influence on recruiting older adults (65 years and older) into aging research as this line of research is particularly important because many culturally diverse adults consult family members when making healthcare treatment decisions.
The primary goal is to have a population of diverse older adults ready to participate in NIA funded clinical research studies. Specific aims of this study are 1) to identify strategies that promote recruitment and enrollment of diverse older adults into aging research; 2) implement a communication plan to increase awareness of and willingness to participate in research and 3) implement a statewide registry of African American, Latino/Hispanic and Caribbean older adults ready to participate in NIA- funded clinical research.
Dr. Gaillard’s work is among the first to propose an organized plan specifically designed to increase our understanding of younger and older diverse adults' knowledge of research participation, and then translate this information into a strategic plan to recruit and enroll older diverse adults throughout Florida into a registry.
research interests
Diabetes Prevention and Care Culturally competent care Cultural Diversity African American, Latino/Hispanic, and Caribbean adults Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors