Faculty & Staff

Gloria Bonner, PhD, RN

Assistant Professor Emerita
Department of Biobehavioral Health Science

NURS 648
UIC College of Nursing
845 South Damen Avenue (MC 802)
Chicago, IL 60612-7350

Phone: 312.996.0066
Email: gjbonner@uic.edu

Research / Discovery
Dr. Bonner conducts research that examines advance medical planning for African Americans with dementia. Her program of research includes: (1) an exploration of factors that influence end-of-life treatment decisions made by African American family caregivers for relatives diagnosed with dementia; (2) development and evaluation of a culturally sensitive autopsy recruitment program for African Americans with dementia; and (3) evaluating the psychometric properties of a newly developed instrument that measures trust in physicians as perceived by African American caregivers. Currently, her research involves testing an empirically based education program she developed that empowers family caregivers to make the best end-of-life treatment decisions for relatives with dementia.

Teaching / Learning
Dr. Bonner is a gerontology specialist with a clinical public health nursing background in the care of older adults living in community settings. She lectures on topics that include advance medical planning for the elderly, health assessment of the older adult, cultural health issues, and research methodologies.

Service / Practice
Dr. Bonner collaborates with an interdisciplinary team of experts on the prevention of cerebrovascular (brain blood flow) diseases in the black community. She serves as a community speaker on dementia and advance medical planning in African Americans and assists with media presentations regarding the importance of advance care treatment plans for individuals with dementia. She is also active with the Gerontological Society of America's sections on dementia and caregiving.

Personal
She is a golfer and enjoys playing the game whenever she gets an opportunity to "get out on the links." She had a pretty good game prior to receiving her PhD. The time she formerly spent practicing to sharpen her golf skills is now used to develop her research expertise. Although, she must admit, golf and research are similar in many ways. They both demand many hours of practice, sustained energy, perseverance, and humility for success. She guesses her golf game will continue to suffer, at least for the present time.

Current Research Projects:

• Advanced Care Treatment Plans (ACT-Plan) for African American Family Caregivers
• Reducing Disparities in Underserved Populations (Co-I)
• CHOICES: Tailored Education for Informed Reproductive Decisions by People with Sickle Cell Disease and Sickle Cell Trait (Co-I)