For Immediate Release August 25, 2009	Contact: Todd Kluss This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (202) 587-2839

Silverstein Named New Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences Editor

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the country’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has named Merril Silverstein, PhD, of the University of Southern California (USC) as the next editor of The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, effective January 2010.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Silverstein assume the position of editor. He is an internationally-known scholar with the depth and breadth of knowledge to appreciate and effectively evaluate the wide variety of research associated with the scientific study of the social aspects of aging,” said Thomas Hess, PhD, chair of GSA’s Publications Committee.

“His desire to increase submissions from scientists outside of North America in order to showcase the important gerontological research being conducted around the world will only enhance the already strong reputation of the publication,” Hess added.

The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, published by Oxford Journals on behalf of GSA, contains peer-reviewed articles dealing with aging issues from the fields of anthropology, demography, economics, epidemiology, geography, political science, public health, social history, social work, and sociology.

“I am honored to be following in the footsteps of such impressive predecessors and plan to continue to uphold the scholarly excellence that has been the hallmark of the journal,” Silverstein said.

As a professor in USC’s Davis School of Gerontology and Department of Sociology, Silverstein’s research focuses on aging within the context of family life, including such topics as intergenerational transfers and transmission, social support over the life-course, grandparent-grandchild relations, migration in later life, public policy toward caregiving families, and international perspectives on aging families.

He is also a principal investigator of the Longitudinal Study of Generations, a project that has tracked multigenerational families over four decades, studying how family relationships have changed across biographical, historical, and generational time, and how the well-being of individual family member has been affected.

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The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences is a refereed publication of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,200+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education.