Celebrating Three Exceptional Careers at UMass Boston Gerontology

UMass Boston Gerontology will be forever changed by the contributions of Jan Mutchler, Jeffrey Burr, and Ellen Birchander, all of whom will retire in 2025.

It was an evening to celebrate a special era for the University of Massachusetts Boston Gerontology program. On June 7, 2025, people gathered at the UMass Boston Alumni Lounge to applaud the careers of three leaders who’ve been instrumental to the Gerontology Department and Gerontology Institute: Jan Mutchler, Jeffrey Burr, and Ellen Birchander. All three retire this year after creating enormous impact in Gerontology over the past three decades.

“Jan and Jeff and Ellen are extraordinary people, and they are as student-centered and focused as any academic administrators I’ve ever met,” said Ira Jackson—the former vice provost of UMass Boston and dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies—in his remarks. “They’ve also been the first to raise their hands and willing to serve, to innovate, and to take a chance: on a new publication, a new program, a new institute.”

Among those who celebrated that evening were the trio’s current and former colleagues and students, some of whom traveled across the country to be there. At the celebration, attendees took turns sharing their memories: of Mutchler’s kind mentorship and savvy leadership, of Burr’s calm nature amid his incredible productivity, and of Birchander’s gift for innovation and multitasking in the development of the Management of Aging Services program.

“Jeff, Jan, and Ellen are stellar colleagues and exemplary educators and citizens of the profession,” said Edward Alan Miller, chair of the UMass Boston Gerontology Department. “Jeff and Jan are also highly respected researchers who assumed nearly every leadership role on campus during their 26-year tenures. Ellen exhibited remarkable dedication to the Management of Aging Services program which she directed since its inception in 2003. We look forward to their continued affiliations as professor emerita, in the case of Jan and Jeff, and as a part-time instructor, the case of Ellen.”

Eilon Caspi, a former doctoral student of Mutchler’s and Burr’s, thanked his former professors for creating a sense of family in the department and for being two big forces in the field of gerontology who led with humility and compassion. He presented a gift to them that he created himself, suitable for two people who have done their share of writing. “Because you’re mentors and teachers and academics, I thought this would be appropriate: I hand-carved a pencil for you with your names on it.” Burr lifted the pencil, more than three feet long, over his head like a trophy while Mutchler laughed and cheered him on.

Birchander, who celebrated her birthday that day as well, offered gratitude to everyone in the room. “I am so lucky,” she said. “If we all just look around and see each other: What a great group of people. How fortunate are we to get to work together, to get to learn together, to get to lead together? When I look around the room and see all of you, I think about what we accomplished together and how much we got to grow together. I feel very, very fortunate.”

Len Fishman, the former Gerontology Institute director, who was unable to attend the event, sent his congratulations to the trio through video.

“What I want to celebrate is the environment they created together,” Fishman said. “The way that Jeff and Jan and Ellen always put the training and experience of students first. Their unselfish commitment to the growth of our field and to public service. The way they drew to them a group of colleagues committed to lifting each other up and making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.”

While a traditional retirement gift from the department is often a university chair, Miller recognized that these three retirees may require “a different kind of chair” for their next chapter. He and colleagues brought out three personalized beach chairs, and Mutchler, Burr, and Birchander settled into their new beach chairs to a round of applause, looking perfectly content and ready for what’s next. As the celebration honored one era for the Gerontology Institute and Department at UMass Boston, it looked to the next era, ushered in with a strong momentum and sense of accomplishment.

“Gerontology is the crown jewel in the crown of UMass Boston,” Jackson said. “The excellence and the service and the soul and the love that the Gerontology Department and the Gerontology Institute represent: This is your lasting legacy, Jeff, Jan, and Ellen.”

Celebrating the Retirees

Jan Mutchler

During the 25 years that Jan Mutchler spent at UMass Boston, she held a variety of roles,including director of the Gerontology Institute, the gerontology graduate program director and department chair, and the founding director of the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging. 

Much of Mutchler’s research has addressed diversity, inequality, and disparities in aging. She managed and produced the Elder Index, a tool that measures, on a county level, the income needed for older adults to meet daily living costs. The Elder Index has been an invaluable tool, cited by journalists, researchers, policymakers, and advocates around the country. Mutchler has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed pieces in respected journals in aging, sociology, intergenerational relationships, and health and medicine. She’s also been instrumental in generating record-breaking fundraising for the Gerontology Institute, serving as the principal investigator, co-principal investigator, or co-investigator on 46 projects. In addition, Mutchler’s commitment to make Boston a more aging-friendly city earned her the recognition of a “Game Changer” by the Boston Globe.

Jeffrey Burr

Jeffrey Burr came to UMass Boston in 1999 to build upon his expertise in a mix of topics related to aging, which includes: social demography, household composition and living arrangements, race and ethnicity in aging populations, labor force participation, and mental health issues. He served for many years as the chair of the gerontology department, and he served for three years as an associate dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.

Burr has published nearly 130 peer-reviewed publications on these issues, and he served for more than a decade as the editor-in-chief of Research on Aging, a well-respected peer-reviewed journal. He has also brought in external funding from organizations including the National Institute on Aging, the Administration on Aging, and the National Science Foundation. In addition, Burr has developed strong rapport with doctoral students, showing strong commitment to their success through his work as a mentor and collaborator. He served as chair on 30 dissertation committees and as a member of 30 more, half of the 120 dissertations completed since the founding of the Gerontology PhD program, and co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and nearly 60 professional conference presentations with graduate students.

Ellen Birchander

In 2003, Ellen Birchander co-founded the Management of Aging Services Program (MAS) in the Gerontology Department with Lillian Glickman, and she’s been director of it ever since. The program has continually grown and evolved, as Birchander has ensured that it continues to address industry trends and the changing skillsets required by professionals. The MAS program has grown exponentially, and it now counts 475 graduates: 404 from the MS program, and 71 from the certificate program.

In addition to her administrative role, Birchander regularly taught six classes a year while serving on numerous committees within the department, college, and institute. She’s been truly hands-on, speaking with each prospective student during their application process, mentoring many current students, and offering nearly around-the-clock access to colleagues and students. This level of commitment and support led to Birchander being named as educator of the year by the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2024. Her relationships extend off campus and throughout the state. As one example, Birchander supported the Executive Office of Elder Affairs in the creation of an online training platform for state home care aides – work that supported the careers of future aging professionals, as well as the lives of older adults throughout Massachusetts.

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