Faculty, alumni, and students from UMass Boston Gerontology attended the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, held in Seattle on November 13 to 16, 2024. The Gerontology Department and Gerontology Institute-affiliated personnel and students presented more than one hundred talks and posters. (See full list of symposia, papers, and posters.)

“Gerontology’s strong presence at GSA’s annual meeting is a great credit to UMass Boston. Our students and faculty assume leadership positions within the association, including helping to plan aspects of the annual meeting, at which they received well-deserved honors and recognitions and presented close to 120 poster and oral presentations,” says Edward Alan Miller, professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston. “This is also true of our extensive alumni network, where the noteworthy contributions by doctoral program graduates at all career stages were evident as well. UMass Boston Gerontology made an indelible mark at this year’s annual meeting, one of the largest ever. We look forward to even greater things as GSA comes to Boston in 2025!”

View GSA Annual Meeting photo gallery

“UMass Boston Gerontology made an indelible mark at this year’s annual meeting, one of the largest ever.”

Dr. Edward Alan Miller

Awards, Recognitions, and Leadership

The awards, recognitions, and leadership designations received by UMass Boston Gerontology’s faculty, alumni, fellows, and students at the conference included:

Alumni:

  • Bei Wu, PhD: 2023 Maxwell Pollack Award Winner Presentation
  • Shu Xu: Health Sciences (HS) Section Student Travel Stipend Award
  • Lien Quach: Academy of Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) Book Award Taskforce, and Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization (ESPO) International Taskforce (co-chair)
  • Taylor Jansen: Social Research, Policy and Practice (SRPP) Section Junior Leader, SRPP Volunteer Workgroup, and SRPP Annual Scientific Meeting Working Group
  • Frances Hawes: SRPP Awards Review Panel

Students:

  • Yan-Jhu Su: 2024 Student Paper Award from the International Comparisons of Healthy Aging (ICoHA) Interest Group, AGHE Student Leadership Award, SRPP Outstanding Poster Award Finalist, and AGHE Educator Resource Development Workgroup
  • Andrew Alberth: AGHE Graduate Student Paper Award, and SRPP Travel Stipend Award
  • Janelle Fassi: AGHE Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Junior Leader, AGHE Annual Scientific Meeting Workgroup, AGHE Book Award Taskforce, and AGHE Travel Stipend Award
  • Jeein Jang: ESPO Dissertation Writing Group
  • Cindy Bui: SRPP Travel Stipend Award
  • Shan Qu: SRPP Travel Stipend Award
  • Josephine Boateng: AGHE Travel Stipend Award
  • Eric Frimpong: AGHE Travel Stipend Award

Faculty:

  • Edward Alan Miller: 2024 Maxwell Pollack Award Recipient, and SRPP Annual Scientific Meeting Working Group
  • Jeffrey Stokes: Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) Section Vice Chair-Elect
  • Nina Silverstein (emeritus): AGHE Program Resource Development Workgroup, and AGHE Age-Inclusivity Education Workgroup

Fellows:

  • Joann Montepare: Chair, AGHE Awards Review Panel, AGHE Age-Inclusivity in Higher Education Workgroup, and AGHE Age-Inclusivity in Higher Education Newsletter
AFU Research Team at GSA 2024
Dr Bei Wu at GSA 2024
Dr Wu and Dr Miller at GSA 2024
UMB Gerontology doctoral students at the GSA booth
Alumni and faculty from UMass Boston Gerontology at GSA Annual Meeting 2024
2024 Student Paper Award from the International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Group
UMB Gerontology students gather at reception during GSA Annual Meeting.
Faculty members gather for reception at GSA 2024 meeting.
Gerontology faculty at dinner during GSA 2024.
Students and faculty from UMB Gerontology at the GSA annual meeting.
Colleagues share a laugh between sessions at GSA Annual Meeting.
Dr Edward Miller receives Pollack Award at GSA
Colleagues with Dr. Wu after Pollack Award lecture.
Student presentation at GSA Annual Meeting
Gerontology students gather at GSA Annual Meeting
Poster sessions at GSA Annual Meeting
Students looking forward to a 2025 GSA Meeting in Boston

Pictured above: The Age-Friendly University (AFU) research team at the AFU symposium; Dr. Bei Wu presents the Maxwell A. Pollack Award lecture; Dr. Bei Wu with Dr, Edward A. Miller; doctoral students Alison Rataj, Elizabeth Simpson, and Seokmin Kim; Dr. Krystal Kittle, alum, with faculty member Dr. Jeffrey Stokes; student Yan-Jhu Su receiving the 2024 Student Paper Award from the International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Group; students Andrew Alberth, Molly Wylie, Elizabeth Simpson, and Alison Rataj; faculty members Dr. Qian Song and Dr. Jaqueline Avila with Wei Yang from Kings College London (left); Dr. Edward Miller with faculty Dr. Pamela Nadash and colleagues; student Molly Wylie, alum and post-doctoral fellow Dr. Taylor Jansen, faculty Dr. Beth Dugan, and student Jeein Jang; student Janelle Fassi with a colleague; Dr. Edward Miller accepting the 2024 Maxwell A. Pollack Award; Dr. Bei Wu, alum, with students and colleagues; student Elizabeth Simpson; students Josephine Boateng and Eric Frimpong with a colleague; students Alexa Fleet, Josephine Boateng, and Nicholas Bradly; students Josephine Boateng, Alexa Fleet, Janelle Fassi, and Megan Siebecker.