This semester, UMass Boston welcomes Dr. Whitney Mills as an associate professor of gerontology. Mills’s prior roles were at Brown University School of Public Health, where she was an associate professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, and Providence Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center where she was a core investigator in the Center for Innovation in Long-term Services and Supports.

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. In addition, Mills studies transitions of care, decision-making capacity, and guardianship.

“Dr. Mills has an exceptional record of scholarship and grantsmanship and is uniquely distinguished as the first faculty member in our department—a department of gerontology— with a PhD in Aging Studies,” says Edward Alan Miller, chair of the UMass Boston Gerontology Department. “As a first-generation college graduate herself, Dr. Mills is deeply committed to serving first-generation college students, as well as those from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. A priority for both the department and Manning College, Dr. Mills engages in team science and collaborative research. We are delighted to have Dr. Mills join our community and look forward to her many contributions to UMass Boston Gerontology.”

Dr. Mills, tell us about yourself.

I started as a postdoctoral fellow at the Houston VA in 2014. There, I received a VA Career Development Award, which allowed me to become an independent VA investigator and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. After my award ended, I relocated to Providence, RI, in 2018 to join the VA Center of Innovation in Long-Term Services and Supports (COIN LTSS) and Brown University. At the COIN LTSS, I served as Fellowship Director, overseeing the postdoctoral and undergraduate fellowship programs. With the changes happening at the federal level this year, I wanted to refocus some of my energy on educating the next generation of gerontology professionals. I am very fortunate that I will be able to continue some of my VA research and am looking forward to engaging students in this work!

What drew you to the field of gerontology?

I was originally a music education major, believe it or not! But after teaching band camp for two summers, I realized that being a high school teacher maybe wasn’t the path for me. I was unsure which direction to go; I just knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I spent some of my high school years in Florida and, given the population, there were lots of service opportunities focused on helping older adults. I was chair of a “Seniors’ Prom” held at my high school and participated several times in Paint Your Heart Out initiatives around town. I really loved this work and realized that there might be a way to build a career helping older adults. I went back to campus and switched my major to psychology, which housed the gerontology classes.

What do you look forward to accomplishing in your role at UMass Boston?

I am an associate professor in the Department of Gerontology, and I am really looking forward to engaging with the wonderful and diverse student population here at UMass Boston. As a first-generation, low-income college student at Indiana University, graduate school was never something I considered, but the McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Scholars Program found me and changed my life. Since beginning my career, I’ve had a personal mission to find ways to pay it forward. At the VA, I pioneered a summer research program for undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds, which ran for three years. After the administration change in January, that program was de-funded and I began to think about how to continue working on this personal goal. I found UMass Boston. I’m also really excited about expanding my research horizons through collaborations with faculty and students.

When you’re not working, how do you enjoy spending your time?

I really love going to see live music and I’m not afraid to travel to see my favorite bands! I have been a knitter for a long time and recently bought a spinning wheel to start making my own yarn. I keep lots of plants and usually attempt a container vegetable garden in the summer. I have lots of other hobbies including playing musical instruments, video games, watching shameful amounts of YouTube video essays, and hanging out with my cat. I serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Rhode Island PACE program.