John W. Rowe Speaks at the Heller School to Celebrate Brandeis University/Hebrew SeniorLife Educational Collaboration

The Retirement Research Foundation has awarded APHA $60,000 to support 10 additional years (2008-2017) of Student Research Awards. The Student Awards are made in collaboration with the Gerontological Health Section. Lawrence G. Branch, a founding member of GHS, initiated student research recognition in 1993. In 1997 the Retirement Research Foundation granted APHA $30,000 for an initial 10 years (1998-2007) to support both a doctoral and a master's and bachelor's level Student Research Award. Over the past 10 years, 46 APHA GHS student members were either awarded $750 for Winner as a doctoral student award recipient, $500 for Winner as a master's or bachelor's award recipient, or $100 for Honorable Mention. Award recipients have made substantial contributions to the health and well being of older adults through scholarly research and publication, training of new scholars in the field of aging and public health, and professional activities.

Providing the means to attract, reward and retain outstanding students is vital for APHA and GHS to remain a national voice in the public health policy arena. Recognizing outstanding scholarship is necessary for the country to maintain an educated and motivated public health work force. The Retirement Research Foundation sponsored Student Research Award Program has made, and will continue to make, a substantial commitment to improving the health and well being of older adults.

Retirement Research Foundation Student Award Recipients

1998-2007

1998

Doctoral Award

Glenn V. Ostir, Bsc, BA

Lucinda L. Bryant, PhD, MSMA, MBA

Nina T. Harawa, PhD, MPH

1999

Doctoral Award

Ardith R. Brunt, PhD, RD

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Jennifer Weuve, MPH

2000

Doctoral Award

Robin Taylor Wilson, PhD, MA

Beth Hui Han, PhD, MPH, MD

Sherry H, Weitzen, PhD

Chiu-Chin Huang, PhD, NHA

Aram Dobalian, JD, PhD, MPH

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Bonnie Davies Yeiser, MA

Linfeng Xu, MD, MHA

Amanda J. Boening, PharmD

2001

Doctoral Award

Denys T. Lau, PhD

Heather M. Brandt, PhD, MSPH

Kisten Corazzini Gomez, PhD

Margie Rauch, MHS

R. Tamara Hodlewsky, MA

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Lisa Kenyan

Michelle Umstattd

Elizabeth D. Moxey

Francis C. Yahia-Levy, MS, MPH, CHES, CPT

2002

Doctoral Award

Patricia Heyn, PhD

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Daniela Friedman, PhD, MSc

Michelle Gilles, MS

Stephanie L. Jones, PhD, MPH

2003

Doctoral Award

Yael Harris, PhD, MHS

Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA

Susanne D. Dragun, PhD

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Yoko Kawamura, MPH

Erika M. Symonette, MS

2004

Doctoral Award

Laura E. Burleson, MPH

Katherine H. Leith, PhD, LMSW

Martha Conkling Tromp, MSPH and members of the evaluation team,

Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Alyson A. Falwell, MPH

2005

Doctoral Award

Christopher B. Rosnick, PhD

Master's/Bachelor's Award

John D. Prochaska, MPH

2006

Doctoral Award

Karen Ertel, MPH

Katherine Anderson, PhD, MS

Nancy Lynn, MSPH

Master's/Bachelor's Award

Monica L.W. Pecha, BS

Rohini G. Khorana

Yu Kang, MPA

2007

Doctoral Award

Linda K. Ko

Kwan Ho Kenneth Chui

Shayna Rich, MA, BA

Highlights of Retirement Research Foundation Award Recipients

Susan C. Miller, PhD, MBA

Susan C. Miller is an associate professor of community health (research), Department of Community Health and Center for Gerontology & Health Care Research, Brown University School of Medicine. She is the chair-elect of the Gerontological Health Section. In 1997, Dr. Miller received Honorable Mention for the Retirement Research Foundation Doctoral Student Award, presenting research on a Retirement Research Foundation-funded study related to hospice care in nursing homes. Her research was published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine:

Miller, SC, Mor, V, Coppola K, Teno, J, Laliberte L, Petrisek, AC. (1998). The Medicare Hospice Benefit’s influence on dying in nursing homes, Journal of Palliative Medicine, 1(4):367-376.

Dr. Miller also made several presentations related to this work. Dr. Miller’s research focuses on end-of-life care, issues of quality of care, as well as health disparities among older adults.

As chair-elect of the Gerontological Health Section, Dr. Miller is working with the Section’s leadership and members to continue to ensure public health issues relevant to health care access and quality for older adults and their caregivers are prominent on APHA’s agenda. Her background as an administrator, educator, researcher, and, more recently, as the Gerontological Health Section’s representative on APHA’s Action Board, has provided her with the knowledge and skills needed to motivate and lead Section members in their efforts to increase the Section’s influence in the wider policy arena. In relation to these efforts and to her research interests, Dr. Miller is working to develop closer liaisons between the Gerontological Health Section and palliative care membership organizations in order to more effectively promote the provision of high-quality, well-coordinated long-term care and support to persons with life limiting illnesses and their caregivers.

Lucinda L. Bryant PhD (Health & Behavioral Science,) MSHA, MBA

Lucinda L. Bryant is an assistant professor, Department of Preventive Medicine & Biometrics, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. Dr. Bryant’s professional career in healthy aging “officially” began with the recognition and encouragement she received from members of the Gerontological Health Section as a finalist for the Retirement Research Foundation Doctoral Student Award in 1998. As a finalist for the Award, when Dr. Bryant had just completed her PhD, she received encouragement from Dr. Branch to publish the part of her dissertation work contained in her competition paper.

Bryant, L.L., Beck, A., Fairclough, D.L. (2000). Factors that contribute to positive perceived health in an older population. Journal of Aging and Health, 12:169-192.

Her connections with the Gerontological Health Section, and, more broadly, aging interests and research, have continued through ensuing annual meetings and collaborations with Section members. Dr. Bryant has a passion for community-based research and support for older adults in communities, especially those at special risk socio-economically, ethnically and geographically. She has been principal investigator for Colorado’s Prevention Research Centers’ Healthy Aging Research Network (HAN) member center for the past six years, working closely with public health and aging colleagues locally and nationally. The HAN conducts community-based research into areas that include physical activity, cognitive health, depression and social engagement, the physical and built environment, and nutrition. Within the HAN, as co-leader of the HAN Research Dissemination and Practice Group, Dr. Bryant focuses especially on dissemination of the results of healthy aging research, in partnership with national- and state-level aging service and public health providers. As a current Gerontological Health Section Section Councilor, Dr. Bryant seeks to encourage the development, dissemination, and evaluation of community-sensitive evidence-based programs to promote health in older adults.

Dr. Bryant has continued to develop an interest in healthy aging, trying to understand the factors that encourage and impede healthy aging and to translate and transfer the evidence into community programs and policies. The support of the Gerontological Health Section’s Retirement Research Foundation Doctoral Student Award and Dr. Branch provided a tremendous boost.

Daniela B. Friedman, MSc, PhD

Daniela B. Friedman is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior of the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. In November 2002, she received the Retirement Research Foundation Master's Student Research Award for her graduate research entitled “Cancer Coverage in North American Seniors' Publications.” [Abstract available at: http://apha.confex.com/apha/130am/techprogram/paper_34955.htm]. Based on this research, Dr. Friedman published two articles as first author in the Journal of Cancer Education:

Friedman, D.B., & Hoffman-Goetz, L. (2003). Sources of cancer information for seniors: A focus group report. Journal of Cancer Education, 18(4), 215-222.

Friedman, D.B., & Hoffman-Goetz, L. (2003). Cancer coverage in North American publications targeting seniors. Journal of Cancer Education, 18(1), 43-47.

Being recognized for this research as a graduate student encouraged Dr. Friedman to pursue a doctoral degree in gerontology at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada). She continued her work on communication and aging with a research focus on older adults’ understanding of cancer prevention information and on the content and difficulty level of Web-based cancer messages being communicated to older adults. Dr. Friedman’s research program as faculty at USC continues to focus on health communications and health literacy research. Currently she is a co-investigator on a CDC-funded Special Interest Project entitled “Prevention Research to Promote and Protect Brain Health.” The goals of this qualitative research are to obtain information about how diverse audiences understand and think about cognitive health. Dr. Friedman is also principal investigator on a USC grant examining functional health literacy skills and understanding of prostate cancer prevention among older African American men, and exploring the value of a more expansive framework of health literacy for use with under-served minority populations.

Tool for Public Health

I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but it’s a great tool to talk about public health!  Please share!

http://www.thisispublichealth.org/index.html

Tricia Todd, MPH

Assistant Director

Health Careers Center, University of Minnesota

2-565 Moos Tower MMC 502

420 Delaware St SE

Minneapolis, MN 55455

Task Force on Community Preventive Services Seeks Experts

CDC's Task Force on Community Preventive Services, which develops The Community Guide, seeks experts to participate in review groups that assess the literature with respect to taks for recommendations. This provides an opportunity for individuals with relevant expertise to participate in helping shape recommendations as to the efficacy of interventions. For more information, please contact Natalie Raynor at (202) 777-2433.

ASA Announces New Board Officers

San Francisco, April 14, 2008 — The American Society on Aging announced today that Cynthia Stuen, PhD/DSW, has started a two-year term as chair of the association’s national board of directors.

“It is a privilege to be the new chair of ASA’s board at this exciting time as the baby boomers start entering their 60s,” Dr. Stuen said. “With the largest generation in U.S. history moving toward retirement age at the same time that longevity is increasing, ASA has a vital opportunity to bring together the leaders in this field so that all older adults may live to their fullest potential with dignity.”

Dr. Stuen is senior vice president for policy and professional affairs at Lighthouse International, New York City. She has worked in the field of aging for more than 35 years and has been active in ASA since it changed from the Western Gerontological Society to become the American Society on Aging in 1985. She has served in the leadership of the association as: a board member; as chair of ASA’s Network on Environments, Services and Technology constituent group; and on several committees and task forces. In addition, she chaired the search committee in 2006-2007 for ASA’s new president and CEO. She received the ASA Leadership Award in 2005.

Dr. Stuen’s publications, presentations and research cover topics of age-related sensory loss, access to environments for older adults with impaired vision, and contributions older adults and their family and friends can make to program planning and service delivery. She served as a guest editor for the spring 2003 issue of ASA’s quarterly journal, Generations, which focused on aging and the senses. 

Dr. Stuen has been at Lighthouse International, a leader in vision health care, for 21 years. In 2005, Dr. Stuen served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. She is active in several professional organizations, has published extensively and is a frequent speaker for both professional and consumer audiences. She holds a doctorate from the Columbia University School of Social Work, a master’s degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University.

Other ASA board officers recently elected include Chair-elect John Feather, president and CEO of American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; and Treasurer Jed Johnson, assistant vice president of the Easter Seals headquarters.

Founded in 1954, the American Society on Aging is a professional association that develops leadership, knowledge and skills to address the challenges and opportunities of a diverse aging society. With more than 10,000 members, subscribers and partners, ASA is the largest association for professionals working in the field of aging. Based in San Francisco, the association currently employs more than 30 staff and has an operating budget of more than $4.1 million. For more information, visit www.asaging.org.

L.A. COUNTY SENIORS HAVE SPOKEN!

Results of First-Ever Older Adults Survey are Released

LOS ANGELES COUNTY — Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles have released the results of a groundbreaking survey regarding the identified needs of older adults in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles region is home to nearly one-third of California’s seniors. The first of its kind, L.A. County Seniors Count! Survey of the Older Adult Population, is the result of a countywide needs assessment survey, generating responses from 16,500 culturally diverse residents age 60 and over.

This was a joint effort of the Los Angeles County Community and Senior Services Department, Los Angeles City Department of Aging  and the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging. L.A. Seniors Count! Survey of the Older Adult Population” report was recently presented at the National Council on Aging and American Society on Aging Joint Conference, the nation’s largest conference on aging.

“This is the first time that Area Agencies on Aging have jointly surveyed seniors directly,” said Cynthia Banks, director of the Community and Senior Services Department. “Prior surveys have been based mostly on information gathered from secondary sources and not seniors themselves. This research does not rely on an expert’s vision, but on the opinions of the people who live in the county.”

The report identifies 21 key findings, highlighting the areas of greatest concern for the respondents.

Key Findings Include:

*inadequate or no dental insurance.

*inadequate prescription drug coverage.

*interest in physical exercise, health promotion and disease prevention.

*interest in safety information or had safety issues.

*inadequate information about productive activities.

“The findings revealed that health issues make up the greatest area of need,” said Laura Trejo, general manager, Los Angeles City Department of Aging. “Many of the respondents lack adequate health and dental insurance and expressed difficulty in accessing preventive health services. We also found that we cannot talk too broadly about the needs of county seniors. Residents with different backgrounds and in different geographical areas often reported different needs.”

Background

To gain a clearer understanding of the current needs of seniors, the Los Angeles County Community and Senior Services Department, Los Angeles City Department of Aging and the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging collaborated on a large-scale needs assessment survey of county residents age 60 and over.

The four-page survey contained a total of 40 questions covering seven categories: health, productive activity, information assistance, daily activities, housing, transportation and caregiving. Approximately 100,000 surveys were distributed throughout the county and were completed by nearly 16,500 men and women.

The needs assessment survey process included:

~Distribution of approximately 100,000 copies of the survey to Los Angeles City and County senior and community centers, libraries, polling places, churches and synagogues, in-home supportive services, home-delivered meals routes.

~The provision of a Web-based opportunity for completion of the survey in English and Spanish.

~The distribution of the survey in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, Armenian and Japanese.

~A national search for senior needs assessment survey reports

~A literature review of Gerontology studies

~Support from Kaiser Foundation, California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging and CVS Pharmacy.

The needs assessment has identified opportunities for L.A. County to prevent or delay dependence by creating systems and services that allow older adults to sustain self-sufficiency.

“The report provides the county and the city with information that is invaluable for both planning programs and advocacy,” said Commission Past President Bernard Weintraub, and former chair of the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging Needs Assessment Committee. “We are eager to share it with others who can use the results to help seniors lead healthy and productive lives for as long as possible.”

To Obtain Copies of the Report

Copies of “L.A. County Seniors Count! Survey of the Older Adult population” are available at http://css.lacounty.gov and www.lacity.org/DOA, or you may call Patricia Senette-Holt at (213) 738-2065.