Member Spotlight

Q&A with Noah Webster, PhD from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

		"It is through hearing first-hand the vivid life experiences of older adults from diverse socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds that I have gained a great appreciation for and desire to continue conducting gerontological research to help improve the lives of older adults."
Meet Noah.

Q: How long/Why did you become a member and how does GSA assist with your professional development? 
A: I became a GSA member in 2001 during my first year of graduate school. I became a GSA member and have maintained consistent yearly membership because I was experiencing firsthand the many benefits of membership, such as the invaluable networking and mentorship experiences at the Annual Scientific Meeting and access to information through the journals and newsletters.

Q: How did you get interested in the field of aging?
A: I first became interested in the field of aging during my first year of graduate school. Prior to attending graduate school my work experiences focused on the younger end of the age spectrum, as I was working for an infant mortality prevention project at a local health department. I was accepted to a Ph.D. program in Sociology at Case Western Reserve University with a primary goal of specializing in Medical Sociology. During my first year of graduate school through coursework and research experiences I was exposed to theories and research on aging. Through this I began to wonder how the experiences of older adults that I was learning about are impacted by their earlier life experiences I had studied in my previous work. Thinking and learning about the life course provided me with a way to link my past and current educational experiences and led to my interest in the field of aging.

Q: What are your key responsibilities at your job and/or school?
A: Currently I am a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. My key responsibilities include coordination of a project aimed at adapting and implementing a successful aging program in affordable housing communities funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Another one of  my responsibilities is to participate in and help coordinate The University of Michigan Society 2030 consortium, a group of academics and representatives from companies in a variety of industries focused on identifying and working to address problems and opportunities our society will face in light of an aging population. My responsibilities also include data analysis, preparing conference presentations and writing of manuscript publications around the two-interrelated themes of my research, which include: 1) the bidirectional influences of health and social relationships and contextualizing structural forces in this process; and 2) predictors and facilitators of chronic illness self-management.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience in gerontology and aging research? 
A: My most memorable experiences in gerontological research I find come from talking with older adults. For me this has occurred through conducting qualitative interviews on multiple research projects. The first project I worked on as a graduate research assistant involved interviewing older diabetics and more recently I conducted pilot interviews with older adults living in an affordable housing community. I draw upon these experiences often when trying to interpret quantitative results or thinking about the broader implications of my work. It is through hearing first-hand the vivid life experiences of older adults from diverse socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds that I have gained a great appreciation for and desire to continue conducting gerontological research to help improve the lives of older adults.

Q: How do you feel GSA serves the field of gerontology and aging research? 
A: I feel that GSA serves the field of gerontology in multiple valuable ways. First, GSA is the foundation that allows practitioners and researchers with an interest in aging from multiple disciplines at various stages in their career to be connected and come together to share and advance knowledge. Without this infrastructure, networking with others outside our own disciplinary boundaries would be much more difficult. Second GSA serves the field of gerontology by taking an enthusiastic, supportive and active interest in emerging scholars, such as myself. Through these efforts to involve and encourage growth among this group, GSA is ensuring the future vitality of not only itself as an organization, but also the field of gerontology.

Q: Do you have any tips for emerging gerontologists?
A: My recommendation for emerging gerontologists is to seize any and all opportunities that may come your way to learn and gain new perspectives on aging. For example, when an opportunity arises to collaborate on a paper or research project jump at the chance. Also, seek out opportunities to network and have conversations with aging researchers from other disciplines and sections within GSA. Also I strongly encourage emerging gerontological scholars to take advantage of the many volunteer positions available to us within GSA through ESPO. Doing so can help connect you with other emerging scholars, foster career long collaborations and friendships, as well as connect you with colleagues who may serve as future mentors.

Q: Tell us a little about your most recent activities/accomplishments?
A: In terms of recent activities, I co-organized a symposium at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego with a colleague from the German Centre of Gerontology focused on the role of context in shaping how people age. In this session I presented results from my ongoing work with Toni Antonucci, examining the role of neighborhoods in shaping social relationships and how this can influence the link between social support and health. I was selected to participate in the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment program based on my proposed research agenda over the course of my postdoctoral fellowship on the interplay among social relationships and health disparities. In terms of other recent activities, I co-authored along with colleagues from the Society 2030 consortium an article currently in press at Current Gerontology and Geriatrics on “The Right to Move: A multidisciplinary lifespan conceptual framework.” In this paper we propose a proactive model to combat the trend towards declining levels of physical activity and increasing obesity.

Q: Have you had an important mentor in your career? If so, how did it make a difference? 
A: I have been fortunate to have worked with multiple mentors that have been instrumental in shaping my career. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow I have had the opportunity to work alongside and collaborate with faculty mentors with many years of gerontological research experience. Specifically, I would like to highlight and acknowledge my primary mentors, Eleanor Stoller, Gary Deimling, and Toni Antonucci. The scientific experience and knowledge I gained from working with these mentors has provided me with a foundation from which to build my career, for which I am extremely grateful. Additionally, their constant encouragement and support has been particularly essential in my development as an emerging scholar and gerontologist. It is this personal side of the mentoring experience that I hope one day to replicate as a mentor.