Associate Director, Center for Aging Well (CAW)

Overview

The Associate Director of the Center for Aging Well (CAW) serves as the senior operational and strategic leader responsible for advancing the Center’s mission. Reporting directly to the CAW director, this role functions as the integrator of operations, administration, strategy, research operations, clinical innovation, philanthropy, and cross-institutional partnerships.

The incumbent will operationalize and advance all CAW strategic priorities, ensuring disciplined execution of the CAW’s multi-year action plan under the CAW director's guidance. The role requires a scholar-administrator with deep familiarity with aging and dementia research and experience managing complex data ecosystems.

The associate director will play a critical role in:

• Coordinating research initiatives aligned with healthy aging, dementia prevention, and geroscience
• Supporting the development of a fast-track memory clinic model
• Leading international data transfer and harmonization initiatives (including trans-Atlantic data collaborations)
• Supporting the CAW director to expand philanthropic support for the CAW
• Ensuring the CAW’s operational and administrative excellence across all its projects and initiatives

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Implementation

• Coordinate the development and implementation of a multi-year strategic action plan.
• Independently drive forward all major CAW initiatives-ensuring defined milestones, accountability structures, and measurable outcomes.
• Implement strategic priorities into operational roadmaps with timelines, budgets, and performance indicators.
• Support the CAW director in regularly representing the CAW in high-level institutional meetings across Yale (e.g., School of Nursing, School of Medicine, Public Health, Data Science, Development & Alumni Affairs).
• Ensure alignment with Yale-wide priorities in aging, dementia care, precision health, and health systems innovation.

Research Portfolio Advancement

• Provide operational and administrative coordination of CAW research initiatives, including investigator-initiated projects, center-level grant submissions, and collaborative programs.
• Identify and cultivate interdisciplinary research collaborations across Yale and external institutions.
• Support preparation and coordination of large-scale grant submissions (e.g., NIH P-series, U-series, R01 programs, international consortia).
• Ensure regulatory, data governance, and compliance standards are met for all CAW research activities.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging evidence in aging well, geroscience, dementia prevention, frailty, and precision aging research.

Preferred knowledge domains include:

• Geroscience frameworks
• Multidomain dementia prevention models (e.g., FINGER)
• Large-scale longitudinal cohort methodologies
• Implementation science in aging care delivery

Fast-Track Memory Clinic Initiative

• Lead strategic planning and operational development of a fast-track memory clinic initiative aligned with the CAW’s translational mission.
• Develop scalable clinical workflows integrating cognitive assessment, biomarker-informed risk stratification, and multidisciplinary intervention pathways.
• Coordinate cross-school partnerships (e.g., neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, public health, data science).
• Establish metrics for patient throughput, referral efficiency, and quality outcomes.
• Align clinic development with research integration, ensuring data collection for clinical-research synergy.

Data Strategy and International Data Transfer

• Lead initiatives to harmonize and transfer and/or access large-scale aging datasets from European collaborators to Yale, ensuring compliance with U.S. and international regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR).
• Oversee data architecture planning in collaboration with Yale IT, data science teams, and biostatisticians.
• Develop data governance frameworks for secure storage, access, harmonization, and analytic integration.
• Facilitate cross-national collaborations to enable pooled analyses and translational applications.
• Promote the development of advanced analytics capabilities (e.g., multimodal biomarkers, longitudinal modeling, machine learning applications in aging trajectories).
• Experience with large-scale datasets, longitudinal cohorts, and international data governance structures is strongly preferred.

Philanthropy and Advancement

• Support the CAW director and partner closely with YSN advancement to develop and execute a CAW-specific fundraising strategies.
• Contribute to the preparation of philanthropic concept papers, case statements, and impact reports.
• Help identify funding opportunities aligned with strategic initiatives (e.g., memory clinic, dementia prevention research, international consortia, workforce development).

External Relations and Field Leadership

• Coordinate with national and international networks in aging and dementia research to elevate CAW visibility.
• Help the CAW director build strategic partnerships with academic institutions, healthcare systems, community organizations, and policy stakeholders.
• Support the CAW director to engage local Connecticut stakeholders to advance community-based aging initiatives.

Operational Oversight

• Ensure disciplined project management across all CAW initiatives.
• Develop visualizations and reporting systems to track progress against strategic goals.
• Oversee budget coordination in collaboration with the YSN business office.
• Supervise designated administrative and research personnel as assigned.
• Ensure regular in-person presence to facilitate collaborative leadership and institutional engagement.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrated administrative and leadership experience in aging-related scientific and clinical program development.
2. Proven experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
3. Demonstrated ability to independently execute strategic priorities.
4. Strong understanding of research administration, compliance, and data governance.
5. Proven experience interacting with philanthropic partners or institutional advancement offices. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Education and Experience

1. PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in nursing, public health, gerontology, neuroscience, epidemiology, health services research, or related discipline.
2. Established scholarly track record in aging, dementia prevention, geroscience, or health systems innovation.
3. Proven experience with international research collaborations.
4. Familiarity with large-scale aging datasets and longitudinal cohort studies.
5. Knowledge of regulatory requirements for international data transfer (e.g., GDPR compliance). Demonstrated fundraising experience. Existing professional network within Yale and/or the broader aging research ecosystem.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Directs one or more functional areas within an administrative department of the University and ensure compliance with University policies and procedures. 2. Directs analytic and research support for educational policies and planning and develops and approves administrative policies affecting assigned functional areas of the University. 3. Directs and establishes parameters for major projects for the department and University. 4. Interprets federal policies and regulations and educates staff and administration about regulations, restrictions, and the legal responsibilities of the University. 5. Directs and implements policy and program modifications and develops standards to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations. 6. Develops and administers an operating budget for the assigned department consistent with University policies and procedures. 7. Develops cost savings objectives and goals; authorizes major purchases and negotiates contracts that range from routine to complex in nature. 8. Establishes and implements long- and short-range goals for the functional area consistent with University goals and objectives. 9. Directs the development of related automated systems to support the function; determines office policies and procedures for use of automated systems. 10. Directs the evaluation and selection of vendors and negotiates contract details including work steps and pricing with the vendors on behalf of the assigned functional area. 11. Works with internal and external contacts to solve problems that range from routine to complex in nature. 12. Represents the University in discussions and negotiations with various governmental agencies. 13. Directs a staff of exempt and nonexempt employees. 14. May perform other duties as assigned.