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Nancy Whitelaw, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow

Dr. Nancy Whitelaw is founding Director and currently Senior Fellow in the Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging (NCOA). Dr. Whitelaw is a nationally-recognized leader in the design and implementation of evidence-based health programs for older adults and in strengthening collaboration among aging services, public health and health care. Her work emphasizes the importance of prevention, self-management and person-centered care, moving beyond the traditional medical model and into community settings where older adults live and wish to stay. Dr. Whitelaw also co-directs the Practice Change Fellows Program, a major national initiative to develop strong leaders for health care and social service organizations serving older adults.

Prior to joining NCOA in 1999, Dr. Whitelaw served as Associate Director of the Center for Health System Studies at the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), overseeing research and training projects on case management and geriatric team care. She also served as a member of the HFHS leadership team responsible for strategic planning and program development in senior care and geriatrics. Prior to joining HFHS, she worked for many years to expand and improve community-based services for older adults. 

Dr. Whitelaw has a Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Policy from the University of Michigan and B.A. and M.S. degrees in Sociology from Portland State University. In 2004, she received NCOA’s Molly Mettler Award for national leadership in health promotion and in 2007 she was awarded the Maxwell A. Pollack Award from the Gerontological Society of America for distinction in bridging research, policy and practice. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award for “leading an innovative, effective nationwide movement to develop and deliver evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs through community-based, aging, and health organization networks.”

Dr. Whitelaw was recently elected to serve as President of the Gerontological Society of America in 2012.

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