The Gerontological Society Of America Congratulates New Hartford Doctoral Fellows

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 29 Apr 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Four outstanding doctoral students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by Dr. James Lubben.

Each of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows receives a $50,000 dissertation grant plus $20,000 in matching support from their home institutions, which enables recipients to more fully concentrate on their dissertation research projects over the next two years. Fellows also receive supplemental academic career guidance and mentoring, as well as professional development enabling them to more successfully launch an academic career in gerontology and social work.

Maria Brown
Syracuse University
Center for Policy Research
Dissertation Topic: "Factors Affecting Cognitive Function in Later Life"

Kristen Gustavson
University of California-Berkeley
School of Social Welfare
Dissertation Topic: "Late Life Depressed Mood: Experience, Knowledge & Understanding"

Emily Joy Nicklett
University of Michigan
Health Management & Policy, Sociology
Dissertation Topic: "Diabetes Health Trajectories: Racial/Ethnic, Class, and Gender Disparities"

Paul Sacco
Washington University, St. Louis
George Warren Brown School of Social Work
Dissertation Topic: "Taking the Edge off: Testing a Stress-Coping Model of Alcohol Use Among Older Adults"

This fellowship program is a component of the nationwide Geriatric Social Work Initiative, which seeks to expand the training of social workers in order to improve the health and well being of older persons and their families. It was created to help social work doctoral students overcome their greatest obstacles, such as limited teacher training and career guidance. These fellowships cultivate the next generation of geriatric social work faculty as teachers, role models and mentors for future generations of geriatric social workers.

Lubben, the Louise McMahon Ahearn University Chair at Boston College and a professor emeritus at UCLA, works together with a national program committee to select the Fellows. This year's committee consists of Iris Chi of the University of Southern California, Namkee Choi of the University of Texas at Austin, Ruth Dunkle of the University of Michigan, Grover Gilmore of Case Western University, Jan Greenberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nancy Morrow-Howell of Washington University in St. Louis, Holly Nelson-Becker of the University of Kansas, and Deborah Waldrop of the State University of New York at Buffalo. Ad hoc members include Barbara Berkman of Columbia University and the Hartford Faculty Scholars Program and Carmen Morano of Hunter College and the Hartford Pre-Dissertation Award Program.

The Gerontological Society of America is the nation's oldest and largest multidisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society - and its 5,000+ members - is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public.

The Gerontological Society of America