Staja Booker
Assistant Professor | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL, UNITED STATES
Staja Booker is an expert in racial disparities and health equity in pain management in Black/African American older adults.
Biography
Staja “Star” Booker is an assistant professor at the College of Nursing. She is well-known for her research on disparities, injustices, and health equity in the field of pain. For over 10 years, Star’s research has illuminated the lived experience and management of chronic pain in older adults, particularly those who identify as African American/Black. She has completed several research projects funded by the NIH. Her most recent studies investigated biopsychosocial-behavioral predictors of movement-evoked pain in older African Americans/Blacks with knee osteoarthritis. Her work is innovative and improves the health of older adults experiencing pain and disability in later life.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Health Equity
Black/African American with Chronic Pain
Chronic Pain in Older Adults
Chronic Pain
Osteoarthritis
Racial Disparities
Articles (3)
Pain-Affirming Care at the Intersection of Race, Aging, and Pain Management Nursing
Pain Management NursingStaja Q. Booker, et. al
2024-08-01
Why is it that we do not take pain in Black/African Americans seriously? Why is there so little research with Indigenous and American Indian communities? Why do we dismiss pain in patients with sickle cell disease so easily or fail to ask older adults about their daily pain? These are all questions that we've pondered and quite frankly have not developed adequate or ethical responses for.
Missing at Random or Not?: Evidence on Pain in Black Older Adults With Dementia and Their Caregivers
Research in Gerontological NursingStaja Q. Booker, et. al
2024-07-01
In statistical analysis, examining whether data are missing at random is customary. When examining missing perspectives and research evidence from the literature, we should follow a similar approach, especially for minoritized groups, such as Black older adults who are disproportionately burdened by increasing rates of dementia and severe chronic pain.
Longitudinal Associations of Family Relationship Quality With Chronic Pain Incidence and Persistence Among Aging African Americans
The Journals of GerontologySarah B. Woods, et. al
2024-07-01
This study examines how family relationships convey risk or resilience for pain outcomes for aging African Americans, and to replicate and extend analyses across 2 nationally representative studies of aging health.
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