Katherine C. Britt, PhD, MSN, RN

Katherine C. Britt, PhD, MSN, RN, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing whose work advances person-centered dementia care through spirituality, cognitive care planning, and digital and AI-enabled health innovations. She is a registered nurse with clinical experience caring for older adults and families affected by serious illness and cognitive impairment. Dr. Britt earned her PhD in Nursing from The University of Texas at Austin and completed a National Institute on Aging (NIA) T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received advanced training in dementia, mixed-methods research, biobehavioral interventions, and implementation science.

A 2024 NIA Butler-Williams Scholar, her work centers on the values, cultural contexts, and lived experiences of older adults and care partners navigating cognitive decline. Her work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, the a2collective/PennAITech, Jonas Philanthropy, and the University of Pennsylvania Population Aging Research Center. She serves as Vice Chair of Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization (ESPO) in the Gerontological Society of America and a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter.

Longevity and Healthy Aging Project:  Spiritual Practices in Cognitive Aging

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) are growing public health challenges, driven by population aging and the lack of curative treatments. Although up to 45% of dementia risk is modifiable, little research has examined cultural resilience factors that may promote cognitive health. Spiritual practices—such as meditation, prayer, mindfulness, and spiritually grounded coping—are widely used by older adults, including those living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers. These practices may support cognitive aging through stress reduction, enhanced psychological resources, and improved brain network efficiency, yet longitudinal evidence identifying which practices are most beneficial—and for whom—remains limited.

This Stanford Aging Pilot project investigates the longitudinal associations between spiritual practices and cognitive change using data from the nationally representative MIDUS study over nine years. We will assess how engagement in diverse spiritual practices relates to changes in global cognition among adults with normal cognition and cognitive impairment, using machine learning and clustering methods to identify practices associated with slower decline across subgroups. Qualitative interviews with individuals living with MCI or mild AD/ADRD and their caregivers will further explore lived experiences and perceived cognitive impacts. Findings will inform the development of a tailored, nonpharmacological spiritual practice intervention and support a future NIH R-level submission to pilot a spiritually informed behavioral approach aimed at slowing cognitive decline.