Dr. Ashida is a member of the University of Iowa Center on Aging and is an Aging Mind and Brain Initiative (AMBI) faculty member. Her training background consists of health behavior theories, gerontology and aging, program development and implementation, social network methodology, and public health genomics. Her previous work includes evaluation of social influence and its impact on motivation to undergo health screening and to improve lifestyle (diet, physical activity), the roles of social support and engagement on health, and social resources that facilitate behaviors.