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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Shenk Wins AGHE’s Friedsam Award
The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) — the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America — has chosen Dena Shenk, PhD, of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the newest recipient of the Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award.
This distinguished honor, named for a former AGHE president and an outstanding mentor in gerontology, is given to an individual who has contributed to gerontological education through excellence in mentorship to students, faculty, and administrators.
The award presentation will take place at AGHE’s 37th Annual Meeting and Educational Leadership Conference, which will be held from March 17 to 20, 2011, in Cincinnati, OH. This meeting is the premier national forum for discussing ideas and issues in gerontological and geriatric education. Educators, clinicians, administrators, researchers, and students share their experiences, expertise, and innovations regarding teaching and learning about aging and older persons. Visit www.aghe.org for further details.
Shenk, a cultural anthropologist who focuses on aging cross-culturally, is director of UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program. She has conducted research and program development and evaluation in Denmark, Costa Rica, Peru, and the U.S. Her research includes women and aging, direct care workers, communicating with and caring for people with dementia, and ethics in gerontology using narrative approaches and photography.
Shenk is a fellow of AGHE and The Gerontological Society of America.
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The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) is the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America, the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. AGHE seeks to advance gerontology as a field of study at institutions of higher education through conferences, publications, technical assistance, research studies, and consultation with policy makers. It is currently the only institutional member organization dedicated to gerontology and geriatrics education worldwide.
Mildred M. Seltzer Distinguished Service Recognition
Presented to C. Joanne Grabinski, PhD, Eastern Michigan University, and Mary Alice Wolf, PhD, Saint Joseph University.
This award honors colleagues who are near retirement or recently retired. Recipients are individuals who have been actively involved in AGHE through service on committees, as elected officers, and/or have provided leadership in one of AGHE’s grant-funded projects.
Administrative Leadership Award
Presented to Tammy M. Bray, PhD, Oregon State University
This award honors administrators on AGHE member campuses who have made exceptional efforts in support of gerontology or geriatrics education.
David A. Peterson Gerontology & Geriatrics Education Best Paper of the Volume Award
Presented to Nina M. Silverstein, PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston; Elizabeth Johns, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston; and Judith A. Griffin, MA, MS, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the article “Students Explore Livable Communities.” Honorable mention is given to Emily J. Robbins, MS, Miami University; Jennifer M. Kinney, PhD, Miami University; and Cary S. Kart, PhD, Miami University, for the article “Promoting Active Engagement in Health Research: Lessons Learned from an Undergraduate Gerontology Capstone Course.”
The purpose of this award is to recognize excellence in scholarship in academic gerontology in AGHE’s official journal, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education.
Graduate Student Paper Award
Presented to Deborah Gray, MBA, University of Massachusetts Boston, for the paper “Weight and Wealth: The Relationship between Obesity and Net Worth for Pre-Retirement Age Men and Women.”
This award acknowledges excellence in scholarly work conducted by an AGHE Annual Meeting student attendee.
Book Award for Best Children’s Literature on Aging
Presented to Caitlin Dale Nicholson and Leona Morinn-Nelson for “Niwechihaw/I help” in the primary reader (pre-K to 2nd grade) category, and Ann Grifalconi and Jerry Pickney for “Ain’t Nobody A Stranger to Me” in the elementary reader (3rd to 5th grade) category.
This award recognizes portrayals of meaningful aging in children’s literature.