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For Immediate Release |
Contact: Todd Kluss |
Rubenstein Takes Office as The Gerontological Society of America’s President
Laurence Z. Rubenstein, MD, MPH, FACP, has been inaugurated as the new president of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. He was elected by GSA’s membership, which consists of over 5,400 researchers, educators, practitioners, and other professionals.
Rubenstein assumed this year-long position at GSA’s recent Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego. He is the 69th person to hold the office since the Society was founded in 1945. As president, he will oversee matters of governance and strategic planning while managing the program for GSA’s 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting. He has chosen “Optimal Aging Through Research” as the theme for this conference, which will take place in New Orleans from November 20 to 24.
“GSA’s membership, staff, and volunteer leaders have propelled the growth and development of our field, yet we have much more to accomplish,” Rubenstein said. “The world needs GSA and we can continue to contribute immensely to the world’s benefit.”
Rubenstein is a professor and the chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He is an active health services researcher and the author of over 330 scientific publications, and serves on editorial boards of more than 10 scientific journals. His most recent publications and research focus on preventive geriatric care, geriatric assessment technology, and the prevention and treatment of falls and instability in older people.
“We’re fortunate to have someone with Larry’s expertise guiding our organization during the next year,” said GSA Executive Director and CEO James Appleby, RPh, MPH. “We look forward to working with him to advance research, education, and practice in the field of aging.”
Rubenstein has outlined several goals for his tenure as GSA president.
“My vision for the year ahead is to work hard to help GSA continue to build on its strengths as the leading scientific gerontology organization and enlarge its role in influencing national policy for improving geriatric healthcare, social services, mental health, overall quality of life, and all levels of aging research,” he said.
Rubenstein received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1974. He moved to Oklahoma in 2010 after 32 years on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine, where he was a professor of geriatric medicine, director of the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center, and a senior research consultant at the RAND Corporation. He is board certified in internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and preventive medicine. He is a fellow of GSA, the American College of Physicians, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the American Geriatrics Society.
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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 5,400+ 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.
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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.