Dr. Robin West, Professor of Psychology, conducts research on everyday memory and aging, with an emphasis on self-regulatory factors that enhance memory ability in the later years, including memory strategies, goals and feedback, and positive beliefs about control and self-efficacy. Dr. West completed her M.A. and Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and postdoctoral work at the Aging and Development Program at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. West has been in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida (UF) since 1987. Formerly, she served as director of the Center for Gerontological Studies and associate director of the Institute on Aging at UF. Dr. West is the author of over 65 academic papers, and two popular memory books: Memory Fitness Over 40 (published in four countries), and the Everyday Memory Clinic Workbook.

In 2014, Dr. West received the prestigious M. P. Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award for Applied Gerontology from the American Psychological Association (Division 20 on Adult Development and Aging) in recognition of “contributions that have improved the quality of life of older persons,” including her research on memory training and everyday memory, as well as her extensive community involvement in training workshops and public speeches for lay audiences on the topic of memory and how to improve memory in aging. Other major awards include a Fulbright Fellowship to Israel, teaching and mentoring awards (national as well as UF awards), and a MindAlert award from the American Society on Aging for her Everyday Memory Clinic training program. Dr. West has served on the editorial boards of three national research journals, including Psychology and Aging. Dr. West’s research on everyday memory and aging and memory self-regulation has been funded by the National Institute of Health, the Brookdale Foundation, and The Retirement Research Foundation.