Member Spotlight

Q&A with Marti G. Parker, RPI, PhD from Stockholm, Sweden.

		"Studying young people is like reading half a mystery novel."
Meet Marti.

Q: How did you get interested in the field of aging?
A: My childhood was spent in a small university town in Alaska where there was hardly a soul over fifty. Old people were exotic! So I was curious to meet them when I began working in hospitals, first as nurse’s aid and then as physical therapist.

In regards to research, I more or less fell into the field of aging, but have had no regrets. Studying young people is like reading half a mystery novel. My bachelor’s from Antioch College was in sociology and I was interested in medical sociology. I came to Sweden to learn about the health care system but ended up studying physical therapy. Some years later I was able to combine PT with my interest in sociology when I studied physical functioning and social class in the elderly population.

Q: What are your key responsibilities?
A: I head the Aging Research Center together with Laura Fratiglioni. ARC has nearly 50 researchers with backgrounds in psychology, sociology, medicine, epidemiology and social work. The phrase ‘herding cats’ comes to mind. The challenge is to maintain respect for each other’s disciplines, to strive for understanding and to identify common areas of interest. As well as keeping a high international research profile, ARC endeavors to disseminate research to geriatric care and social services, as well as to participate in development of social policy at the national and local levels.  

Q: What has been your most memorable experience in gerontology and aging research?
A: Most memorable are perhaps the old people I met while working clinically. They taught me so much. My elderly patients in Sweden had more patience than people my own age when it came to explaining Swedish culture, and they never complained about my accent.

In research, I enjoy seeing students’ eyes light up when they realize how fascinating—and complex—it is to study aging. I also like the challenge of stumbling on evidence that crushes hypotheses, especially my own. Back to the drawing board!

Q: How do you feel GSA serves the field of gerontology and aging research?
A: The conferences and journals facilitate networking and growth in the field. I especially appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of the meetings. As a PhD student, I found the meetings friendly and encouraging. Even ‘big names’ in aging research would stop by to discuss my poster. I now bring my co-workers to the annual meeting to showcase their work and to network internationally. An added pleasure at recent meetings is the chance to meet my daughter, Linnéa Smolentzov, who attends as a PhD student from Clemson University.

Q: Tell us a little about your most recent activities/accomplishments?
A: A major focus of my work has been physical functioning and how to measure it in the elderly population. I’ve gone on to look at other health indicators and to follow different health trends over time. I also lead a study of women’s care utilization and another study focusing on complex health problems. The Swedish government has recently become aware that the care system does not serve well old people who need extensive care from multiple providers. As in other countries, collaboration between different kinds of providers is poor. 

Data collection for the third wave of SWEOLD is now in progress.  SWEOLD is a unique data set that builds on a nationally representative interview survey started 1968. Each wave that is added provides longitudinal data over a longer sector of the life course. I’m also preparing for an interview survey of centenarians in Sweden. This will be in collaboration with four other countries under the leadership of Jean-Marie Robine.

Q: What activities do you have outside research?
A:  I enjoy walking in the Swedish countryside and writing novels and short stories. Oddly enough, my stories are mostly about old people. If you think it’s hard to publish scientific articles, try publishing fiction! I am also active in our local Bahá’í community.

Q: Have you had an important mentor in your career? If so, how did it make a difference?
A: I’ve been privileged to work with a number of gifted researchers who were generous in their support, from my first research job at Harvard with Ellen Jones and Christine Bishop, to contact with Nancy Pedersen and Margy Gatz during my doctoral work. The high standards these researchers set was sometimes intimidating, but also stimulating. My doctoral supervisor, Mats Thorslund, was the one really responsible for getting me into gerontology. He saw my talents and pushed me to develop them.