Elizabeth NECKA

Biography

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Necka is a program director in the Individual and Behavioral Processes Branch of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). At NIA, Dr. Necka directs a portfolio of basic and translational research focused on interpersonal processes in aging and how they relate to health and well-being, with particular emphasis on dyadic interactions and informal/family caregiving. Her portfolio also includes research on social disconnection, social cognition, and pain as they relate to aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.  Prior to joining NIA, Dr. Necka was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and served as a program officer in the Division of Translational Research at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she managed a portfolio of grants on the behavioral science of mental disorders and aging. Dr. Necka has served as a representative to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet) and coordinator of the NIH Intramural Affective Neuroscience Seminar. She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Chicago and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Her research focused on the role of social and interpersonal factors on health and cognition and psychophysiological regulation of social behavior.