Dementia Basics – Virtual Class 7/28/2026

Dr. Lyda Arevalo-Flechas, PhD, MSN, RN

Lyda C. Arévalo-Flechas, PhD, MSN, RN has earned a reputation for cutting edge research on the factors influencing Latino/Hispanic caregivers‘ perception of the experience of caring for a relative with Alzheimer‘s disease nationally and internationally. Her nursing career spans more than 30 years, including working as an operating room nurse, teaching university students and becoming a researcher.

Born in Bogota, Columbia, Dr. Arevalo-Flechas' research interests include Latino/Hispanic caregiving, the concepts of caregiver satisfaction and duty fulfillment, and formulation of culturally informed theory of caregiving. Dr. Arevalo-Flechas is a bilingual and bicultural investigator with special interest in the cultural and linguistic competency of intervention programs for Latinos/Hispanics. She is very active in community outreach efforts, service learning programs, and study abroad experiences for health professions students. Her teaching areas of interest are focused on gerontology and culturally competent healthcare services delivery. Dr. Arevalo-Flechas is one of a handful of Hispanic PhD prepared registered nurses in the nation.

Dr. Arevalo-Flechas professional achievements include the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) Patricia Archbold Scholar (2006-2008), and the JAHF Claire M. Fagin Fellowship (2008-2010). In 2011, she was inducted into the University of Texas System Academy of Master Teachers as a Distinguished Teaching Professor. She received the Presidential Teaching Award from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), where she held the William F. Castella Endowed Professorship in Aging Research. Dr. Arevalo-Flechas received her BSN from State University of New York at Binghamton, and her MSN and PhD from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.