Dr. Kales is Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of California Davis and a fellowship-trained board-certified geriatric psychiatrist.

She was Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan and a Research Investigator in the Center for Clinical Management Research and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center in the VA Ann Arbor Health System and founding Director of the UM Program for Positive Aging (PPA), Her research is informed by clinical work and experiences with patients, families, and providers, to diminish barriers to effective care for older patients with dementia and their caregivers. She is recognized as an international expert in outcomes related to later-life depression, risks of use of antipsychotic and psychotropic medications in older adults, and ways to improve dementia care. Named to the standing Lancet Global Commission on Dementia Care in 2015, she’s had continuous federal funding since 2004.