Profiles

Avron S. Spiro, III, PhD

Research Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health

(857) 364-2888
aspiro3@bu.edu
VAMC Boston - 12C-14
View Full Profile at BUMC

Biography

Dr. Avron (Ron) Spiro received his PhD in Human Development and Family Studies in 1982 from The Pennsylvania State University, specializing in adult development and aging and in developmental methodology. In 1986, he joined the VA Normative Aging Study (NAS), then at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic, as a research psychologist and methodologist. In that position, he has studied the influences of health and disease on cognitive aging, and conducted longitudinal studies of personality, well-being, and mental health. He also works with the VA Dental Longitudinal Study (DLS), an ongoing study of dental health among NAS men. In 1998, the VA funded the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), which incorporated the NAS/DLS, now located at VA Boston Healthcare System in Jamaica Plain. From 1993 - 2018, Dr. Spiro collaborated with researchers at the VA HSR&D Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR; formerly the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes, and Economic Research [CHQOER]). His work there focused primarily on mental health, including PTSD and depression, and on patient-reported outcomes, including health-related quality of life.

In 1987, Dr. Spiro was appointed Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Boston University School of Public Health, promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in 2004, and to Research Professor in 2011. In 2011, Dr. Spiro was appointed as Research Professor of Psychiatry at BU School of Medicine. Since 2001, he has been Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research at BU’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine. In 2008, he received a Research Career Scientist award from the Clinical Science R&D Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and from 2013 to 2020 was funded as a Senior Research Career Scientist. Dr. Spiro has been funded by NIH and VA. His current work involves (a) examining the effects of health and disease on cognitive aging, (b) modeling longitudinal changes in personality in relation to health, (c) examining the long-term effects of military service on health and well-being in later life, and (d) studying mental disorders and their impact on health and functioning.

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Health Policy & Health Svcs Research - Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
  • Research Professor, Psychiatry - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • - VA Boston Healthcare System

Education

  • Pennsylvania State University, PhD Field of Study: Human Development

Websites

Publications

  • Published on 9/25/2025

    Marino VR, Kubzansky LD, Grodstein F, Kim S, Spiro A, Lee LO. Optimism and cognitive functioning trajectories in a cohort of aging men. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2025 Sep 25; 80(10). PMID: 40711855.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/26/2025

    Pless Kaiser A, Ream M, Spiro A, Sloan DM, Cook JM, Vogt D, Moye JA. Feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes: A pilot trial of the enhancing social function in older veterans with PTSD (ESVP) group intervention. Psychol Serv. 2025 Jun 26. PMID: 40569724.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/12/2025

    Serier KN, Burns HM, Magruder KM, Spiro A, Pless Kaiser A, Kimerling R, Frayne SM, Kilbourne AM, Stock EM, Forsberg CW, Smith NL, Smith BN. Functioning and disability consequences of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and diabetes in Vietnam era men and women veterans. Health Psychol. 2025 Jun 12. PMID: 40504650.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/12/2025

    Serier KN, Burns HM, Magruder KM, Spiro A, Kaiser AP, Kimerling R, Frayne SM, Kilbourne AM, Stock EM, Forsberg CW, Smith NL, Smith BN. Posttraumatic stress disorder and hypertension in older adult Vietnam Era male and female veterans. J Trauma Stress. 2025 Aug; 38(4):659-670. PMID: 40353294.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/1/2025

    Stellman SD, Pless Kaiser A, Smith BN, Spiro A, Stellman JM. Persistence and Patterns of Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Medical, and Social Dysfunction in Male Military Veterans 50 Years After Deployment to Vietnam. J Occup Environ Med. 2025 May 01; 67(5):306-312. PMID: 40335437.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/13/2025

    Willroth EC, Beck E, Yoneda TB, Beam CR, Deary IJ, Drewelies J, Gerstorf D, Huisman M, Katz MJ, Lipton RB, Muniz Tererra G, Pedersen NL, Reynolds CA, Spiro A, Turiano NA, Willis S, Mroczek DK, Graham EK. Associations of personality trait level and change with mortality risk in 11 longitudinal studies. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2025 Feb; 128(2):392-409. PMID: 39804344.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 1/1/2025

    Checko ER, Knight J, Crow TM, Spiro A, Whitworth JW, Penza C, Kaiser AP, Cucalon A, Nigg CR. Transtheoretical Model Technology-based Interventions to Improve Health Behaviors in Veterans. Motiv Sci. 2025; 11(3). PMID: 40895604.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/18/2024

    Stellman SD, Pless Kaiser A, Smith BN, Spiro A, Stellman JM. Impact of Persistent Combat-Related PTSD on Heart Disease and Chronic Disease Comorbidity in Aging Vietnam Veterans. J Occup Environ Med. 2025 May 01; 67(5):299-305. PMID: 39696828.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/1/2024

    Aldwin C, Choun S, Spiro A. The coping, appraisal, and resilience in aging (CARA) model: Longitudinal findings from the Normative Aging Study. Psychol Aging. 2024 Dec; 39(8):884-896. PMID: 39666488.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/15/2024

    Qiu X, Danesh Yazdi M, Wang C, Kosheleva A, Wu H, Vokonas PS, Spiro A, Laurent LC, DeHoff P, Kubzansky LD, Weisskopf MG, Baccarelli AA, Schwartz JD. Extracellular microRNAs associated with psychiatric symptoms in the Normative Aging Study. J Psychiatr Res. 2024 Oct; 178:270-277. PMID: 39173451.

     Read At: PubMed

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