Gerontological Society of America Congratulates 2026 Awardees
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging — is proud to acknowledge the work of 26 outstanding individuals through its prestigious awards program.
GSA salutes outstanding research, recognizes distinguished leadership in teaching and service, and fosters new ideas through a host of awards. Nominated by their peers, the recipients’ achievements serve as milestones in the history and development of gerontology.
The award presentations will take place at GSA’s 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 4 to 7 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Society-Wide
Donald P. Kent Award
Recipient: Heather M. Young, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, of the University of California, Davis
This award is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society.
Robert W. Kleemeier Award
Recipient: Jeffrey M. Hausdorff, PhD, FGSA, of Tel Aviv University
This award is given annually to a GSA member in recognition for outstanding research in the field of gerontology.
James Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award
Recipient: Briana Mezuk, PhD, FGSA, of the University of Michigan
This award recognizes outstanding commitment and dedication to mentoring minority researchers in the field of aging.
M. Powell Lawton Award
Recipient: Allen Glicksman, PhD, FGSA, of the Eastern Pennsylvania Geriatrics Society
This award honors contributions from applied gerontological research that have benefited older people and their care. This award is sponsored by the Polisher Research Institute of Abramson Senior Care.
Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award
Recipient: Manka Nkimbeng, PhD, MPH, BSN of The University of Minnesota
This award acknowledges outstanding early career contributions in behavioral and social gerontology. This award is given by GSA in conjunction with the Margaret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation.
Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging
Recipient: Pamela J. Doty, PhD, FGSA, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This award recognizes instances of practice informed by research and analysis, research that directly improved policy or practice, and distinction in bridging the worlds of research and practice. This award is funded by the New York Community Trust through a generous gift from the Maxwell A. Pollack Fund.
Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award
Recipient: Hyochol Ahn, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, of The University of Alabama in Huntsville
This award is presented to a GSA member who has a record of outstanding and sustained contribution to geriatric nursing research.
W. Andrew Achenbaum Award for Excellence in the Gerontological Humanities
Recipient: Margaret Morganroth Gullette, PhD, of Brandeis University.
This award recognizes research and creative excellence in the gerontological humanities that broadly includes, but is not limited to, literature, philosophy, history, spirituality, ethics, cinema, media, poetry, and the arts in relation to aging studies.
Krout & Elmore Children’s Book Award for Best Portrayal of Aging
Recipient: “Soggy Like Cush Cush” by Karly Pierre, illustrated by Kristen Uroda, published 2025, Little Bee Books
This award recognizes realistic portrayals of older adults in picture books for children.
Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education
Clark Tibbitts Award
Recipient: Dana Burr Bradley, PhD, FAGHE, FGSA, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
This award is given to individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of gerontology and/or geriatrics education.
Hiram J. Friedsam Mentorship Award
Recipient: Laura Donorfio, PhD, FAGHE, FGSA, of the University of Connecticut
This award recognizes individuals who have contributed to gerontological and/or geriatrics education through excellence in mentorship to students, faculty, and administrators.
Distinguished Faculty Award
Recipient: Jenny Inker, PhD, LALFA, of Virginia Commonwealth University
This award recognizes persons whose teaching stands out as exemplary, innovative, of impact, or any combination thereof.
Rising Star Early Career Faculty Award
Recipient: Abigail Stephan, PhD, of Clemson University
This award recognizes new faculty whose teaching and/or leadership stands out as impactful and innovative.
Student Leadership Award
Recipient: Layla Katharine Santana, of the University of South Florida
This award recognizes a student whose leadership has advanced the goals and mission of the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) as well as the respective goals of his/her AGHE-affiliated institution.
Behavioral and Social Sciences Section
Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award
Recipient: Eileen M. Crimmins, PhD, FGSA, of the University of Southern California
This award recognizes career contributions that have articulated a novel theoretical or methodological perspective or synthesis that addresses a significant problem in the literature.
Distinguished Mentorship in Gerontology Award
Co-Recipient: Anne Barrett, PhD, FGSA, of Florida State University
Co-Recipient: Wendy A. Rogers, PhD, FGSA, of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
This award is given to an individual who has fostered excellence in, and had a major impact on, the field by virtue of their mentoring, and whose inspiration is sought by students and colleagues.
Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award
Recipient: Zhuoer Lin, PhD, of Emory University
For the article, “Exposure to School Racial Segregation and Late-Life Cognitive Outcomes.” Co-authored by Yi Wang, PhD, Thomas M. Gill, MD, and Xi Chen, PhD.
Recipient: Laura N. Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, of Drexel University and Sara J. Czaja, PhD, FGSA, of Weill Cornell Medicine
For the book, “Handbook of Intervention Science: From Design to Implementation.”
This award recognizes insightful and innovative publications on aging and life course development in the behavioral and social sciences in two categories: Book Category and Article Category.
Mid-Career Innovation Award
Recipient: Jennifer Ailshire, PhD, FGSA, of the University of Southern California
This award acknowledges outstanding and innovative contributions of an established mid-career member of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section.
Biological Sciences Section
Nathan Shock New Investigator Award
Co-Recipients: Junhao Wen, PhD, of Columbia University
This award acknowledges outstanding contributions to new knowledge about aging through basic biological research.
Health Sciences Section
Joseph T. Freeman Award
Recipient: George E. Taffet, MD, FGSA, of Houston Methodist Hospital
This award recognizes a prominent clinician in the field of aging, both in research and practice.
Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award
Recipient: Linda Resnik, PT, PhD, of Brown University
This award acknowledges outstanding contributions in the field of rehabilitation of aging persons.
Mid-Career Innovation Award
Recipient: Allison Lindauer, PhD, APRN, FGSA, of Oregon Health & Science University
This award acknowledges outstanding contributions of an established mid-career GSA member of the Health Science Section to an innovative and influential area of the field in research and/or practice.
Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section
Elaine M. Brody Thought Leader Award
Recipient: Emily A. Greenfield, PhD, FGSA, of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
This award acknowledges outstanding contributions in social research, policy, and practice.
Carroll L. Estes Rising Star Award
Recipient: Xiang Qi, PhD, of New York University
This award acknowledges outstanding early career contributions in social research, policy, and practice.
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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1945, is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging. It serves more than 6,000 members in over 50 countries. GSA’s vision, meaningful lives as we age, is supported by its mission to foster excellence, innovation, and collaboration to advance aging research, education, practice, and policy. GSA is home to the National Academy on an Aging Society (a nonpartisan public policy institute) and the National Center to Reframe Aging.