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This semester, UMass Boston welcomes Dr. Whitney Mills as an associate professor of gerontology. Mills is a gerontologist and implementation scientist dedicated to developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to improve the quality of life of older adults who require long-term services and supports.
How does someone’s work history—specifically, the physical demands of that work over the life course—affect their health as they age? What is the correlation between race/ethnicity and work conditions, and how may that contribute to health disparities in older adults? These questions compelled Sung Park, PhD, assistant professor of gerontology at UMass Boston, to begin her recent study.
As policy makers have debated proposed Medicaid cuts this summer, Marc Cohen and Jane Tavares have been busy researching and writing. Cohen and Tavares, both with the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, have dived into data to explore what these potential cuts may mean to older adults.
At a library, aboard a harbor cruise, or online: What’s your OLLI open house style? Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMass Boston invites the community to a free event on July 17, 2025.
On May 1, 2025, a new set of The Healthy Aging Data Reports will be released by a team at the Gerontology Institute. They present a detailed picture of aging in America that’s provided nowhere else: a neighborhood-level examination of the challenges faced by older adults.
Demographic changes are affecting the future of higher ed: Older adults seek to enhance their lives by furthering or restarting their education. Yet, challenges remain in making these opportunities available.
The WISH Act is a case study in collaboration, compromise, and negotiation. Learn about the people and organizations who created a pragmatic proposal for long-term care insurance for older adults with disabilities.
Harry Margolis, a fellow with the Gerontology Institute, hosts the podcast, Risking Old Age in America. His conversations with lawmakers, scholars, housing experts, and more reveal not just the immensity of the emerging care crisis but the ingenuity of those who work to alleviate it.
The Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging leads engaged research in neighborhoods around the city to learn the needs of older adults. The findings from these conversations guide the city’s Age Strong campaign. “This research allows the City of Boston to implement programs that are closely aligned with what residents need and look for,” says Caitlin Coyle, PhD, CSDRA director.
Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation that approved changing the name of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to the Executive Office of Aging & Independence.
“The name change is a signal of the investment that the state has made in terms of eroding ageism, specifically in the way that we communicate about aging,” says Caitlin Coyle, Ph.D., director of the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging, part of the Gerontology Institute. “That is a huge and very public-facing action that signals that change is happening.”
