Catherine Tompkins, Ph.D., is a Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in the College of Public Health at George Mason University. She has been at George Mason for more than 20 years, and her research focus is grandparent/grandchild relationships over the life course, intergenerational issues between students and older adults, and non-pharmacological interventions for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
She is a grounded theory methodologist who has developed and continues to examine and test a grounded theory called compounding complexity. There are three pillars to that theory: situations, relationships, and emotions. She has been working on testing this theory with grandchild/grandparent relationships and student/older adult relationships to look at the strengths and sustainability of the relationships over time.