Dr. Bower is accepting students for the upcoming academic year.
Dr. Emily Bower is an Assistant Professor for the PhD Clinical Psychology Program. She received her PhD from the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.
Dr. Bower’s research and clinical interests are in geriatric mental health with specializations in late-life suicide prevention and the assessment and treatment of anxiety, including fear of falling. The overarching goal of her research is to examine how we adjust to functional changes (cognitive, physical, social) as we age and to leverage that information to develop or adapt behavioral interventions to promote mental health and prevent suicide among older adults. She is the principal investigator for the Behavioral Health and Aging Research Lab at °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellow, VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention), 2020
- PhD, Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 2018
- Pre-doctoral Internship, Salem VA Medical Center, 2018
- MA, Psychology, San Diego State University, 2011
- BA, Psychology, Magna Cum Laude, Willamette University, 2002
Recent Publications
Bower, E. S., Van Orden, K. A., & Lenze, E. J. (2025). Suicidal ideation after hip fracture in older adults. Psychogeriatrics, 25(4), e70065.
Bower, E. S., Curyto, K. J., & Karel, M. J. (2023). Supporting sustained STAR-VA implementation: Evaluation of a sustainment coaching program. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24(7), 1035-1041.
Van Orden, K. A., Bower, E., Lutz, J., & Silva, C. (2023). Engage coaching for caregivers: a pilot trial to reduce loneliness in dementia caregivers. Aging & Mental Health, 27(10), 2019-2026.
Sullivan, J. L., Simons, K. V., Mills, W. L., Hilgeman, M. M., Freytes, I. M., Morin, R. T., Bower, E. S., Clark, R., & Byers, A. L. (2022). A paucity of data on veterans 65 and older and risk of suicide: A systematic review. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 31(7), 525-539. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2022.11.005
Hilgeman, M., Simons, K., Bower, E. S., Jacobs, M. L., Hagemann, L., Eichorst, M, Luci, K. (2021). Improving suicide risk detection and clinical follow-up after discharge from nursing homes. Clinical Gerontologist, 44(5), 536-543. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1927280
Simons, K. V., Bower, E. S., Gillespie, S. M., Mills, W. L. (2021). Care transitions to the community from VA nursing homes: Experiences of social connection and disconnection. JAMDA, 22(3), 682-688. doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2020.07.029
Van Orden, K. A., Bower, E., Lutz, J., Silva, C., Gallegos, A. M., Podgorski, C. A., Santos, E. J., & Conwell, Y. (2020). Strategies to promote social connections among older adults during ‘social distancing’ restrictions. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(8), 816-827.
Bower, E. S., Wetherell, J. L., Petkus, A. J., & Lenze, E. J. (2020). Neuroticism predicts fear of falling after hip fracture. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 35(5), 498-506.
Recent Presentations (*denotes student/trainee/mentee)
Bower, E., Loskot, T.*, & Van Orden, K. (2024, November 13-16). Momentary assessment of social disconnection in older adults at heightened risk for suicide. In K. Van Orden (Chair), Daily experiences of social connection: Real-world assessment strategies to understand mechanisms[Symposium]. Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA.
Colombowala, F.*, Bower, E. (2024, November 13-16). Older adults have differential response patterns to two common suicide assessment measures. In F. Colombowala* (Chair), Suicide Risk Assessment: Insights, Challenges, and Innovations [Symposium]. Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA.
Loskot, T.*, & Bower, E. (2024, November 13-16). Ecological momentary assessment of suicide risk: Feasibility among older adults with memory concerns. In F. Colombowala* (Chair), Suicide Risk Assessment: Insights, Challenges, and Innovations [Symposium]. Gerontological Society of America, Seattle, WA.
Colombowala, F.*, & Bower, E. (2024, November 13-16). Attitudes toward aging and subjective cognitive complaints: Does depression moderate their relationship? In E. Bower & M. Zammitti* (Co-Chairs), All in how you look at it: Attitudes, affects, and ability in the assessment of subjective cognition [Symposium]. Gerontological Society of America, Seattle WA.
Bower, E., Dhar, N., Gregorio-Zellmer, H., Garza, Y., Loskot, T.* (2023, November 18). Social connection planning to enhance support for complex needs callers to a senior loneliness line. In B. Renn (Chair), Novel approaches to expanding and extending the workforce to meet adult mental health needs [Symposium]. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Conference, Seattle, WA.
Loskot, T.*, Siegel, L.*, Reohr, P.* & Bower, E. (2023, May 5). Consideration of Culture in Late Life Social Connection Research: A Qualitative Meta-analysis. [Poster Presentation] Oregon Psychological Association 2023 REStore Spring Conference, Oregon City, OR. (Received a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Competency Award)
Van Orden, K. Bower, E., & Quiñones-Cordero, M. (March, 2023). Promoting Resilience in Dementia Caregivers: Roybal Centers for Translational Research on Dementia Care Provider Support. Session presented at the AAGP Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Mai, J.*, Loskot, T.*, Newman, A.*, Bower, E., & Van Orden, K. (2022, April 28). Evaluating the validity of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale for lonely older adults [Poster presentation]. 2022 Western Psychological Conference, Portland, OR.
Instructor
- Foundations of Psychological Science II
- Applied Clinical Psychology I/II
- Practicum I: Clinical Science
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
- The Gerontological Society of America
- APA Division 12/2 Society for Clinical Geropsychology