Pamela A. Saunders, Ph.D

Pamela A. Saunders serves as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center, where she has established herself as a pioneer in medical communication and geriatric education. After earning her doctorate in sociolinguistics from Georgetown University, she has dedicated over 29 years to research and teaching, focusing on empathy, language, aging, and doctor-patient communication. Her research portfolio includes significant funding from prestigious institutions including the Alzheimer's Association, National Institute on Aging, Hartford Foundation, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As the Founding Director of the Aging & Health Program, she developed innovative curricula including the Master of Science in Aging & Health. Her groundbreaking research on Trauma-Informed Medical Care (TI-MED) has demonstrated improved physician-patient relationships through targeted interventions. She currently directs the Doctoring Curriculum for first-year medical students and co-directs the Geriatrics Clerkship, while also serving as Communications Course Director. Her work spans multiple areas including ethnographic studies of dementia patients, caregiver communication, and aging-in-place research, making significant contributions to both medical education and clinical practice