“Gerontology is inherently multidisciplinary, fostering collaboration across the range of academic disciplines and professions.” As Edward Alan Miller, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at University of Massachusetts Boston, gave these opening remarks during last week’s Innovations in Aging Forum, the people gathered in that very room proved his point.
“The people who gathered here showed that gerontology is a team sport, and together they shared where gerontology research, education, and practice stand now, and where they may lead next.”
There were about 85 people, including gerontology faculty, students, and staff from UMass Boston, as well as related programs like public policy, nursing, and exercise and health sciences. Students shared posters and gave “elevator pitches”; researchers shared their work, including leaders from centers within the Gerontology Institute: the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA), LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), and Pension Action Center (PAC). University leaders attended, including Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UMass Boston, Dr. Joe Berger, and Dean of the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr. Bo Fernhall. Community partners that perform vital work for older adults across the area were present as well, including the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, Massachusetts Gerontological Association, UMass Medical School, and University of New Hampshire. The people who gathered here showed that gerontology is a team sport, and together they shared where gerontology research, education, and practice stand now, and where they may lead next.
The Innovations in Aging Forum invited special guests from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA)—including Dr. James Appleby, chief executive officer of GSA—to learn about the work being done by the Gerontology Department and the Gerontology Institute, as well as their partners. GSA is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging, and it’s the primary professional home for many of the gerontology faculty, students, and research staff here. The group’s annual scientific meeting is one of the biggest events of the year for those in the field.
“Our impact at GSA’s annual meeting is a great credit to UMass Boston,” Miller said during his remarks. “Our students and faculty assume leadership positions within the association, including helping to plan aspects of the last annual meeting, at which they received well-deserved honors and recognitions and presented close to 120 poster and oral presentations. This is also true of our extensive alumni network, where the noteworthy contributions by graduates at all career stages are evident as well.”
This year, the 2025 GSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in UMass Boston’s backyard from November 12 through 15 at the Hynes Convention Center. This visit gave GSA leaders an opportunity to hear first-hand from those at UMass Boston about the work being done here each day.
It’s a crucial moment for the field of gerontology, as an aging population creates a growing demand for people who have this expertise. There are many timely questions in need of addressing: how community centers and non-profits can serve the needs of aging adults, how long-term care providers can balance fiscal responsibility with good patient care, how research should influence policy and practice with evidence-based approaches. The faculty, staff, and students devote their professional lives to creating solutions that answers questions such as these.
In just nine months, many of these experts will reunite under the same roof again, not very far away, for the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting. Once more, it’ll be a show of what can be accomplished when people across disciplines collaborate with a common mission that Miller shared during his remarks: “to seek to improve the quality of life and promote the well-being of people as they age through research, education, and practice.”
Photo Gallery: Innovations in Aging Forum
Joseph B. Berger, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, addresses the forum.
Leave a Reply