Interest Groups
The Society has many interest groups that are formed around a topic or issue that cuts across disciplines. Interest groups meet at the Annual Scientific Meeting and provide opportunities for networking, collaboration on research projects, and increased involvement for members and non-members in the conference program. For more information, please read the interest group section of the GSA Frequently Asked Questions page.
GSA's Interest group policies are downloadable in PDF format. Each interest group sponsors an e-mail listserv to help its members keep current. Contact the conveners listed below to sign up. Please note that all contributions must adhere to the listserv protocols that GSA has established. GSA also is not responsible for the content , as outlined in this disclaimer.
Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of Elderly People
Contact: Toshio Tatara, PhD, Shukutoku University, 12-12-703 Akeni, Urayasu, Chiba, 279-0014, Japan; telephone: 011-81-047-380-9992, Fax: 011-81-047-380-9992;
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Aging, Alcohol, and Addictions
Provides an opportunity for persons interested in the issues of elderly abuse of alcohol and drugs to meet, exchange, information and resources, and make contacts with persons who have similar interests. Visit the web site of Aging, Alcohol, and Addictions.
Contact: John W. Culberson, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, 2002 Holcombe, 110, Houston, TX, 77030, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Lawrence Schonfeld, PhD, University of South Florida, Florida Mental Health Institute, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MHC 1400, Tampa, FL, 33612, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Aging in Asia
GSA Aging in Asia Interest Group provides a venue for collaboration, mentoring, and resource exchange among researchers, practitioners, and others who have an interest in issues related to aging in Asia and among Asian immigrants living in the U.S. and other countries.
Contact: Kyong Hee Chee, PhD, Texas State University - San Marcos, Department of Sociology, San Marcos, TX,
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Alzheimer's Disease Research
Promotes the collaboration of researchers and practitioners conducting basic or applied research on Alzheimer's Disease, and moves research into new directions.
Contact: Heather L. Menne, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Margaret Blenkner Research Institute, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, Office Phone: 216-373-1627,
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Assisted Living
Contact: Sheryl Zimmerman, Ph.D., Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Co-Director, Program on Aging, Disability and Long-Term Care, Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Airport Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514,
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; or Jennifer R. Salmon, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, USF #30437, Tampa, FL 33620,
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Business and Aging
Provides an opportunity for business schools, various sectors of gerontology, and the corporate world to share research and implement findings.
Contact: Gail Hunt, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Anthony Sterns, Creative Actions/University of Akron, 680 N. Portage Path, Akron, OH 44303, Tel. 330-867-9978, Fax. 330-867-6899, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Chinese Gerontology Studies
Contact: Iris Chi, DSW, University of Southern California, School of Social Work, Los Angeles, CA, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Bei Wu, PhD, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, The UNCG Gerontology Program, Greensboro, NC, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Ning Jackie Zhang, University of Central Florida, Doctoral Program in Public Affairs, Orlando, FL, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or Terry Lum, PhD, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, School of Social Work, St. Paul, MN, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Disasters and Older Adults
This groups aims to appeal to academics, researchers, clinicians, healthcare providers (nursing homes, hospitals, medical facilities), program administrators (senior centers, meals on wheels, Area Agencies on Aging), and policymakers (state and federal) from all disciplines who provide care or services to older adults and are interested or concerned about their preparedness, response, and recovery from disasters.
Contact: Lisa M. Brown, PhD, Department of Aging and Mental Health Disparities, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL,
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; or Maggie Gibson, PhD, Veterans Care Program, St. Josephs Health Care London; Aging, Rehabilitation and Geriatric Care Research Program, Lawson Health Research Institute; Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario; London, Ontario, Canada,
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Economics of Aging
Increases awareness and availability of on-going research in the economics of aging, and encourages and enhances data collection efforts.
Contact: Christine E. Bishop, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Room 214, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Brandeis University, Mailstop 035, 415 South Street, P.O. Box 549110, Waltham, MA 02454-9110,
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Emotion and Aging
Contact: Jean E. Kubeck, Adams State, Alamosa, CO 81102, telephone (719) 587-7010; fax: (719) 587-7873;
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or Nathan Consedine,
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Environment and Aging
Contact: Kathy Sykes, US EPA - Aging Initiative, Washington, DC, 202-564-3651,
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; or Rick Moody, PhD, AARP,Office of Academic Affairs, Washington, DC,
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Epidemiology of Aging
Provides a forum for the application of epidemiologic principles to the study and the problems of aging, and improves the applications of epidemiologic principles to research throughout GSA.
Contact: Lisa C. Barry, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor, Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center,
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; or Doug Miller, MD, Fairbanks Professor In Aging Research, Internal Medicine,
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Gerontology PhD
Contact: Kelly Niles-Yokum, PhD, York College of Pennsylvania,
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; Kate de Medeiros, PhD, Cooper Ridge Institute, Sykesville, MD,
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Grandparents as Caregivers
Recognizes the rapid increase over the past decade of grandparents serving as caregivers for their grandchildren, especially those taking on the role of primary caregivers. It brings researchers in this area together to increase GSA and the public's awareness of the special issues of this phenomenon.
Contact:Esme Fuller-Thompson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 1A1,
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Health Behavior Change
Contributes a public health perspective to GSA and proactively addresses health status issues for older persons and the aging population in general.
Contact: Barbara Resnick, University of Maryland, 655 W. Lombard St., Baltimore, MD, 21201,
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HIV, AIDS, and Older Adults
Promotes research and educates professionals about AIDS-related issues so that they can prepare the long-term care system and its traditional residents for a new type of population.
Contact: Dr. Nancy A. Orel, Bowling Green State University, Health and Human Services, Gerontology Program, 218 Health Center, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, Tel: (419)372-7768,
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Hospice, Palliative, and End-of-Life Care
Contact: Debra J. Dobbs, PhD, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL,
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; or Rebecca S. Allen, PhD, University of Alabama, Psychology Center For Mental Health And Aging, Tuscaloosa, AL,
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Hospital Elder Life Program
Contact: Heidi R. Wierman, MD, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, wiermh@mmc.org
International Aging and Migration
Provides an opportunity for persons interested in the issues of aging and migration to meet, exchange information and resources, and make contacts with persons who have similar interests.
Contact: Allen Glicksman, PhD, Director of Research and Evaluation, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, 642 North Broad Street, Philadelphia PA 19130-3409, Tel: (215) 765-9000, ex. 5517, Fax: (215) 765-9066,
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; or Sandra Torres, Linkoping University
National Institute for the Study of Aging and Later Life (NISAL), Campus Norrkoping, 601 74 Norrkoping, Sweden, mailto:%
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Lifelong Disabilities
Links groups and individuals who research or provide for the special needs of older persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities, and helps to resolve issues of concern to them.
Contact: Krystal L. Culler,
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Measurement, Statistics, and Research Methods
Contact: Peter H. Van Ness, MPH, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Program on Aging, 300 George St., Ste. 775, New Haven, CT, 06511,
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; or Heather G. Allore, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Program on Aging. 300 George St., Ste. 775, New Haven, CT, 06511,
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Men's Issues
Contact: Charlie Stelle, PhD, Bowling Green State University, Department of Human Services, 223 Health Center, Bowling Green, OH, 43403,
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; or Ed Thompson, PhD, Holy Cross College, Department Sociology & Anthropology, One College St., Worcester, MA, 01610,
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Mental Health Practice and Aging
Contact: Kelly Trevino, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, SM 271 Boston, MA, 02115,
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Nursing Care of Older Adults
Disseminates effective nursing interventions for care of older adults, and advances the study of needs of older adults and their families by encouraging interdisciplinary communication and supporting the development of a scientific basis for nursing care of older adults.
Contact: Kimberlee Gretebeck, PhD, RN, University of Michigan School of Nursing,
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; Cornelia Beck, PhD, RN, RAAN, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,
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; Pamela Cacchione, PhD, APRN, BC, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing,
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Nutrition
Focuses on nutrition and nutrition research as important areas of gerontology, and raises the level of awareness of this fact within GSA by providing a forum for discussion.
Contact: Connie W. Bales, PhD, RN, Duke University Medical Center, Center on Aging, Box 3003, Durham, NC 27710, telephone: (919) 660-7519, fax: (919) 684-8569, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Christine S. Ritchie, M.D., This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Julie Locher
Older Workers
Contact: Amanda Barusch, University of Otago, College Of Social Work, Salt Lake City, UT:
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Oral Health
Helps to develop and refine the science of geriatric dentistry and enhances an understanding of oral health problems as they influence the non-dental disciplines in GSA.
Contact: Dr. Robert Berg, Director of Advanced Training and Service, School of Dentistry, Applied Dentistry, 4200 E. 9th Avenue, Box C-284, Denver, CO 80262, telephone (303) 315-6304, fax: (303) 315-0360,
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Physical Environments & Aging
Promotes multidisciplinary research on the relationship between the design of physical environments and outcomes important to successful aging.
Contact: Habib Chudhury, PhD, Simon Fraser University, Aging and Environment Area, Department of Gerontology, 2800-515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC,V6B 5K3,
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; or Maggie Calkins, IDEAS, 8055 Chardon Road, Kirtland, OH, 44094-9580,
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; or Jon Pynoos, Andrus Gerontology Center, Room 228, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191,
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Qualitative Research
Contact: Judith R. Smith, Ph.D., LCSW, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, New York, NY 10023,
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; or Ramona Meraz Lewis, EdD, Department of Leadership & Counseling, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti MI, 48197,
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Rainbow Research Group
Contact: Brian R. Grossman, MSPH, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Department of Health Science and Program in Gerontology, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA,
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Religion, Spirituality, and Aging
Joins scholars of religion who focus on institutional beliefs and behaviors with researchers of the spirituality of beliefs and personality correlates.
Contact: Julie Hicks, West Virginia University, Department of Psychology, 53 Campus Drive, PO Box 6040, Morgantown, WV, 26506, 31680,
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; or Allen Glicksman, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging Planning,
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; or Dean Van Dras, University of Wisconsin, Human Development Program, Mac319, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001,
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; or James Ellor, Baylor University, School Of Social Work, One Bear Place 97320, Waco, TX 76798-7320,
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; or Monika Ardelt, University of Florida, Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, PO Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330,
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; or Holly Nelson-Becker, University of Kansas,
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Reminiscence and Aging
Focuses on both research and clinical perpectives on how reminiscence, life review and other forms of autobiographical memory are related to issues of mental health, personality, and cognitive functions in older adulthood.
Contact: Loriena Yancura, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2515 campus Rd., Milber Hall, #201C, Honolulu, HI, 96822,
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; or Thomas W. Pierce, Radford University, Department Of Psychology, Box 6946, Radford, VA, 24142,
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; or Barbara K. Haight, 1710 Ian Avenue, Sullivans Island, SC, 29482,
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; or Jeffery Webster, Langara College, 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z6,
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Research in Quality of Care
Assembles, disseminates, and upgrades the quality of available scientific knowledge on dementia-related illnesses while focusing especially on dementia patients in special-care settings.
Contact: Nicholas Castle, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15101,
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; or Margaret Calkins, PhD, I.D.E.A.S., Inc., Kirtland, OH,
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;or Jeannie Teresi, EdD, PhD, Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, Bronx, NY 10471,
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Research on Cancer and Aging
Contact: Keith M. Bellizzi, MPH,PhD, University of Connecticut, Human Development and Family Studies, 348 Mansfield Rd., Unit 2058, Storrs, CT, 06269,
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; or Bill Given, PhD, Michigan State University,
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Researchers Based in Long-Term Care
Educates about the existence and potential of research based in long-term care facilities. It also aids in solving problems associated with balancing research opportunities and other duties.
Contact: Katherine Judge, Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115
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; or Samantha Sters,
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Rural Aging
Increases the awareness and understanding of rural aging issues and serves as a vehicle for sharing information on rural aging research, policy and practice.
Contact: Adrienne L. Cohen, Miami University, Sociology and Gerontology, Scripps Gerontology Center, Upham Hall Room 396, Oxford, OH, 45056,
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; or Jennifer Crittenden, University of Maine, Center On Aging, Camden Hall, Room 327, 25 Texas Avenue, Bangor, ME, 04401,
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Societal Implications of Delaying Aging
Contact: David L. Wilson, PhD, University of Miami, Department Of Biology, Po Box 249118, Coral Gables, FL, 33124,
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Systems Research in Long Term Care
Contact: Elena Siegel, PhD, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing,
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; or Mary Ellen Dellefield, PhD, VA San Diego Healthcare System,
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; or Kirsten Corazzini, Duke University Medical Center,
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Technology and Aging
Investigates possibilities for applying the results of rapid advances in technology to better the lifestyles of the growing number of older persons in a world-wide society. Please visit: http://gsa-tag.cua.edu.
Contact: David C. Burdick, Ph.D., Director, Stockton Center on Successful Aging and, Professor of Psychology, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, PO Box 195, Pomona, NJ 08240, www.stockton.edu/agingcenter; or Emily M. Agree, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept of Population & Family Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD,
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; or David Kutzik, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA,
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; or Binh Q. Tran, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC,
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; or Mary H. Parker, Ph.D., MKHP Associates, L.L.C., Alexandria, VA,
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; or George Demiris, PhD, Associate Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems, School of Nursing & Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine Graduate Program Director, Biomedical and Health Informatics, University of Washington, BNHS-Box 357266, Seattle, WA, 98195-7266,
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; or Andrew Sixsmith, PhD, Director, Gerontology Research Center, HC2626, Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC, Canada, V6B 5K3,
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Transportation and Aging
Contact: Michele Bédard, Lakehead University, Centre for Research on Safe Driving, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1,
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; or Marla Berg-Weger, Saint Louis University, School of Social Work, 221 Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63103,
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; or Anne E. Dickerson, East Carolina University, College of Allied Health Sciences, Greenville, NC 27858,
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Trauma, Aging, and the Life Course
Contact:Eve H. Davison, PhD, Women's Health Sciences Division, Boston, MA,
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; or May Aydin, PhD, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Los Angeles, CA,
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Urban and Neighborhood Aging
Contact: Julie Norstrand, MSc, MSW, School of Social Work, Boston College,
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; Gretchen Luhr, Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR,
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