Amber Watts, PhD

Amber Watts
  • Associate Professor
  • Lab Director
  • Psychology (Clinical; Brain Behavior and Quantitative)
she/her/hers

Contact Info

Fraser Hall
Lawrence, KS

Biography —

My research investigates health behaviors, prevention strategies, and bio-behavioral processes associated with healthy aging, cognitive aging, & Alzheimer's disease. My recent research has focused on sex differences in midlife health risk factors for cognitive aging including characteristics of the menopause transition in women. Many of my current research projects are conducted in cooperation with the KU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in Kansas City.
 

Education —

PhD in Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Research —

Current research projects in the BRANCH Lab include:
 
1) Cognition in Menopause
This project will evaluate risk and preventive factors for poor cognitive function during the menopause transition, including actigraphy-derived physical activity and sleep
 
2) The Midlife Cohort for Alzheimer's Risk
This project investigates risk factors for Alzheimer's disease that begin in midlife, focusing on sex differences in risk factors and characteristics of the menopause transition
 
3) Menopause History and Cognitive Performance
This project investigates associations between lifetime estrogen exposure and cognitive performance in older adult women
 
4) Lifestyle Empowerment for Alzheimer's Prevention (LEAP! Rx)
An exercise and healthy lifestyle intervention for older adults using online referrals in the electronic health record
 
5) Predictors of Cognitive Complaints in Middle Aged Women
This project looks potential predictors of cognitive complaints including vasomotor symptoms, poor sleep, depressive symptoms, and poor diet
 
6) Adverse Childhood Experiences and Midlife Health Outcomes
This project investigates how early life traumatic experiences are associated with later physical and psychological health outcomes in midlife
 
 

Research interests:

  • Cognitive Aging
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Older Adults
  • Midlife
  • Physical Activity
  • Sleep
  • Accelerometry
  • Lifestyle Interventions
  • Menopause
  • Sex Differences

Teaching —

I currently direct the undergraduate Honors in Psychology program (PSYC 460). At the graduate level, I teach Design and Analysis for Developmental Research (PSYC 815)

Teaching interests:

  • Graduate Research Methods
  • Undergraduate Honors in Psychology

Selected Publications —

  1. Watts, A., Szabo-Reed, A., Baker, J., Vacek, J., Clutton, J., Mahnken, J., Key, M. N., Vidoni, E. D., & Burns, J. M. (2024).LEAP! Rx: A pragmatic approach to lifestyle medicine prescription. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14265
  2. Wiranto, Y., Siengsukon, C., Vidoni, E., Mazzotti, D., Burns, J. M., & Watts, A. (in press). Sex differences in the role of sleep on cognition in older adults. Sleep Advances.
  3. Medina, V., Watts, A., Fracachan-Cabrera, M., Hazlewood, C., Ramirez- Mantilla, M., Vidoni, E., & Perales-Puchalt, J., (in press). Analysis of engagement with CuidaTEXT, a text message intervention for dementia caregiver support among Latinos/as. Ethnicity & Health. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2024.2387111
  4. Honea, R. A., Hunt, S., Lepping, R. J., Vidoni, E. D., Morris, J. K., Watts, A., Michaelis, E., Burns, J. M., & Swerdlow, R. H. (2023). Alzheimer’s disease cortical morphological phenotypes are associated with TOMM40 ‘523-APOE haplotypes. Neurobiology of Aging, 132, 131-144. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.09.001
  5. Watts, A., Haneline, S., Welsh-Bohmer, K. A., Wu, J., Alexander, R., Swerdlow, R.H., Burns, D. K., Saunders, A. M. (2023). TOMM40 ‘523 genotype distinguishes patterns of cognitive improvement for executive function in APOE ε3 homozygotes. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. doi: 10.3233/JAD-230066
  6. Hicks, H., & Watts, A. (2023). Differential effects of chronotype on physical activity and cognitive performance in older adults. Frontiers: Epidemiology.doi:10.3389/fepid.2023.1029221
  7. Watts, A. & Jen, S. (2023). Context-dependent sexual changes during women’s midlife transitions. Journal of Women and Aging. doi: 10.1080/08952841.2023.2195321
  8. Perales-Puchalt, J., Ramirez-Mantilla M., Fracachan-Cabrera, M., Vidoni, E. D., Ellerbeck, E. F., Ramirez, A. S., Watts, A., Williams, K., and Burns, J. M. (2022). A text message intervention to support Latino dementia family caregivers (CuidaTEXT): Feasibility study. Clinical Gerontologist. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2022.2137449
  9. Watts, A., Chalise, P., Hu, H., Hui, D., Pa, J., Andrews, S., Michaelis, E. K., & Swerdlow, R.(2022). A mitochondrial DNA haplogroup defines patterns of five-year cognitive change. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. doi:10.3233/JAD-220298
  10. Ghosal, R., Varma, V. R., Volfson, D., Urbanek, J., Hausdorff, J. M., Watts, A., & Zipunnikov, V. (2022). Scalar on time-by-distribution regression and its application for modelling associations between daily-living physical activity and cognitive functions in Alzheimer’s Disease. Scientific Reports, 12:11558, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15528-5
  11. Perales-Puchalt, J., Acosta-Rullan, M., Ramirez-Mantilla, M. Espinoza-Kissell, P., Vidoni, E., Niedens, M., Ellerbeck, E., Hinton, L., Loera, L., Susana Ramirez, A., Lara, E., Watts, A., Williams, K. Resendez, J., & Burns, J. (2022). Development of CuidaTEXT: A text message intervention to support Latino dementia family caregivers. JMIR Aging, 5(2),e35625, doi:10.2196/35625

Awards & Honors —

Menopause Society Mentorship Program (2022-2024)

Public Scholars Trainee (2022)

Keeler Fellowship (Spring 2021)

First Book Workshop, Hall Center (Spring 2020)

Fellow, Gerontological Society of America (2018)

Retirement Research Foundation Scholarship (2016)

Retirement Research Foundation Fellow (2015)

ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Aging Research Visiting Fellowship Travel Award (2015)

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

2024-2026        A. Watts (Research Project Leader)

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and NIH Office of the Director (OD)

COBRE title: Leveraging Big Data to Improve Women’s Health

Project title: Risk and Prevention Factors for Cognitive Function in the Menopause Transition

 

2022-2023       A. Watts (PI)

Developing a Representative Cohort to study Midlife Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease

Developmental Award, KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

 

2022-2023       A. Watts (PI)

Sex-based disparities in Alzheimer’s disease risk at Midlife

General Research Fund, KU

 

2022-               S. Billinger (PI) and J. Burns (PI), A. Watts (Training Faculty)

Institutional Training Program, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center T32, NIA

 

2020-2022       Perales-Puchalt (PI), Niedens, Burns, Vidoni (Co-Is), Watts (Consultant)

CuidaTXT: a Text Message Dementia-Caregiver Intervention for Latinos

NIA R21 AG065755-01

 

2019-2020       A. Watts (PI)

Physical Activity and Sleep Study in Older Adults

General Faculty Research Fund, University of Kansas

 

2019-2023       R. Swerdlow (PI), A. Watts (Co-I)

Mechanistic basis of the mtDNA haplogroup J – Alzheimer’s disease association

National Institutes of Health 1R01AG061194-01

 

2017-2021       J. Burns (PI), A. Watts Co-I (Project Director)

Prescribing Smart Aging: Integrating Health Systems with Community-Based Lifestyle Interventions

National Institute on Aging 1R01AG052954-01

 

2016-       R. Swerdlow (PI), A. Watts (Co-I)

University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center

National Institute on Aging P30AG035982

Service —

  • Director, Undergraduate Honors in Psychology
  • Board of Directors, Brain Health Training Program, University of Kansas Medical Center
  • Board of Directors, Night of Hope
  • Data Safety Monitoring Board, NIH