 |
|
|
For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Blancato To Deliver Keynote for The Gerontological Society of America’s New Orleans Meeting
Aging policy expert Robert B. Blancato, MPA, will headline the opening plenary session at The Gerontological Society of America’s upcoming 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting. This five day gathering — the country’s largest interdisciplinary conference in the field of aging — will take place from November 19 to 23 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.
Blancato was appointed by former President Bill Clinton as the executive director of the White House Conference on Aging in 1995. He later spearheaded the successful efforts to pass the Elder Justice Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010.
He currently is president of Matz, Blancato, & Associates, a full-service firm integrating strategic consulting, government affairs, advocacy services, and association and coalition management. Blancato also serves as the national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition and executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs.
“Mr. Blancato has devoted his career to serving the needs of older Americans ,” said GSA President Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, PhD. “Our audience will find value in his message as economics and politics continue to play a role in how we plan and care for an increasingly aging society.”
Blancato is a former U.S. House of Representatives staff member and spent 17 years on the House Select Committee on Aging. From 2000 to 2006, he was the president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
An estimated 3,500 professionals are expected to attend GSA’s meeting. The theme for 2010 is “Transitions of Care Across the Aging Continuum” and the program schedule contains more than 500 scientific sessions featuring research presented for the first time. Blancato’s speech will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 20, in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton.
###
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is 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 for Gerontology in Higher Education.
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.