Q: How long have you been a GSA member?
A: Four years.
Q: Do you have a GSA resource that has been your “go-to” for keeping you engaged with the Society?
A: The GSA resources that keep me engaged are the interest groups, webinars, and GSA Connect. In fact, the first thing I do in the morning is to check updates from GSA Connect. Being part of the paid caregiving, qualitative research and HBCU Collaborative interest groups has connected me to amazing people and great resources.
Q: In what ways has membership in GSA benefitted you?
A: Since joining GSA, I have connected with aging experts and new mentors, and made new friends whose advice and feedback continue to reshape my perspectives on aging and how to be a better version of myself. My membership has also offered opportunities to volunteer with the Member Outreach Team and serve as an ESPO Junior Leader for the SRPP section, to support the goals and initiatives of GSA.
Q: How did you get interested in the field of aging?
A: I would say my grandmother got me into the field of aging. Even though she lived to over 100, her network and social connections continued to shrink over time. She stayed mostly in the church and when I asked her why, she shared that the church provided for her, visited her, brought her communion, and prayed for her. This showed me how much community support mattered to her. I always felt that if there had been adult day services or groups in Ghana that my grandmother could join, it would have improved her social well-being. After publishing a paper assessing faith-based organizations’ social support strategies for the health and well-being of older adults, I resolved that this was the career I would love to pursue. Discovering that my personal experiences and academic background could also contribute to nursing home research was the icing on the cake.
Q: What do you love most about your line of work?
A: As a qualitative researcher, listening to the stories of people has always been instrumental in the work I do. I love sitting with CNAs in nursing homes, male caregivers, or family members of people with chronic illness in nursing homes. I always look forward to opportunities to co-create knowledge with them as community partners who are experts in their own lived experiences. At the end of the day, my research should focus on what matters to them.
Q: What projects are you working on in your current position?
A: I am currently in the final year of my PhD working on psychological safety and task performance among certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in nursing homes using a mixed-methods approach. This fall, I will mostly be collecting data for my dissertation. I have also been working on a study among male caregivers of people living with dementia as part of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Provost Global Scholar award I received in the summer.
Q: What was the best piece of advice you got early on in your career you’d like to pass on to emerging gerontologists?
A: Much of what I have learned came through experience and not necessarily advice I got early on in my career. As emerging gerontologists, I would say it is important to embrace interdisciplinary perspectives and remain curious and open to learning. Beyond building a strong research agenda, finding a community you can rely on for advice and guidance, exchanging ideas with, and above all, building a community you can have fun with makes all the difference. Finally, the words (my favorite three) I would like to pass on to emerging gerontologists are: be committed, consistent, and persistent.