Member Spotlight

Q&A with Christine L. Himes, PhD from Syracuse, NY.

Q: How long have you been a member and how does GSA assist with your professional development?
A: I’ve been a member since around 1990.  I remember attending my first GSA meeting in San Francisco as a graduate student and being amazed at the breadth of the topics covered.  At every meeting I try to attend one session that is outside my normal area of research.  Since gerontology is so interdisciplinary I find I can learn from every presentation.

Q: How did you get interested in the field of aging?
A: Early on I was fascinated with formal demography and the age pattern of mortality.  Since most deaths occur at older ages, that interest lead me to aging and a broader perspective on the field.  My focus has always been on aging and health, but within that I’ve looked at family caregiving, causes of death, and more recently, the effects of obesity on later life health.

Q: What are your key responsibilities at your job and/or school?
A: I currently wear several hats.  I am the director of the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University.  In this position I help coordinate and support faculty research efforts in aging and health, as well as education finance, housing and urban studies, and public finance and budgeting. I have learned a considerable amount about fields outside of aging.  I also serve as the interim associate dean in the Maxwell School and am responsible for academic affairs in the school.  In addition, I still teach, advise, and work with undergraduate and graduate students.  So, I’m pretty busy this year.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience in gerontology and aging research?
A: I think my most memorable experiences have been the opportunities to visit and collaborate with international scholars.  I spent a short time in Sweden many years ago learning a little about their aging policies and then spent a sabbatical semester in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.  For several years I’ve attended annual meetings of REVES, an association of gerontologists from around the world interested in measuring healthy life expectancy.  This past year’s meeting in Havana, Cuba was a fascinating experience.  Learning about, seeing, and “living” the effects of different social policies has made me much more aware of the impact public funding and support of later life care can have.

Q: Why is it important for other individuals to join GSA?
A: The journals and meetings provide opportunities to stay abreast of current research in the field. The chance to meet with colleagues at the annual meetings and to hear new research results stimulates my own research.

Q: Do you have any tips for emerging gerontologists?
A: Gerontology is such a broad field.  It is important to gain expertise in your specific area, while at the same time keeping a pulse on the broader picture.  I would encourage newcomers to the field to seek advice from those who are more experienced.  Most senior scholars are happy to offer advice and encouragement.

Q: Tell us a little about your most recent activities/accomplishments?
A: My research of late has focused on the implications of obesity for later life health and well-being.  Obesity is related to a greater likelihood of functional limitation and disability, to increased levels of chronic disease, and to lower earnings and savings.  The long range effects of the increased levels of obesity in the population are difficult to determine, but likely to have significant impacts on the older population for years to come. 

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 many excellent mentors.  My graduate advisor, Sam Preston, got me excited about aging and the demographic implications.  Early in my career I benefitted greatly from a fellowship from the Brookdale Foundation.  The exposure to leaders in the field and the interdisciplinary perspectives of other fellows helped shape my career.  Now, as a Senior Fellow for the fellowship program, I have the opportunity to give back to newer scholars.