Faculty

Ladda Thiamwong is a professor at UCF’s College of Nursing and the Florida Blue Endowed Professor for Healthy Communities. An expert on the aging population with more than 15 years of experience in gerontological nursing, Thiamwong focuses her research on healthy aging and fall prevention in ethnically diverse older adults. She developed the Fall Risk Assessment Test for screening Thai community-dwelling older adults, and the Healthy Aging Instrument to assess processes involved in healthy aging, which is now available in several languages. Her research findings have led to a paradigm shift in fall risk assessment through tailored fall interventions. Thiamwong has recently been awarded more than $6 million in funding, including three NIH grants, and currently leads an interdisciplinary team implementing a technology-based body and mind intervention for older adults in low-income settings. Her previous study on technology-based fall risk assessments received a Catalyst Award from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine Healthy Longevity Global Challenge. At the local level, she shares her expertise as a member of the City of Orlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging, and the Disability, Aging and Technology Faculty Research Cluster at UCF.

Education

• PhD, Mahidol University
• MSN, Mahidol University
• BSN, Boromarajonani College of Nursing
• Certificate for Conceptualizing and Measuring Healthy Aging, University of California, San Francisco

Selected Editorial Activities

• Associate Editor, Injury Prevention and Control Section, Frontiers in Public Health 
• Editorial Board, Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services (JPN)
• Editorial Board, Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research
• Editorial Board, Walailak Journal of Social Science

Selected Awards & Honors

• UCF Luminary Award, 2024
• Distinguished Fellow, National Academies of Practice in Nursing, 2024
• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2023
• Excellence in Geriatric Nursing Research Mid-Career Award, Southern Nursing Research Society
• Research Incentive Award, University of Central Florida, 2021
• Excellence in Research Award, University of Central Florida College of Nursing, 2021
• Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, University of Central Florida College of Nursing, 2020
• Richard Tucker Competitive Gerontology Research Award, Learning Institute for Elders (LIFE), University of Central Florida, 2019
• Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing, National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, 2018

Selected Professional Activities

• Chair, Aging/Gerontology Research Interest and Implementation Group (RIIG), Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS)
• Co-Convener, Gerontological Society of America, Aging Among Asians (GSA-AAA) interest group
• The Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
• Committee Member, Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing Committee, National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence
• Committee Member, Orlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging