The Gerontological Society of America Awards New Hartford Doctoral Fellowships

October 26, 2005 - Six outstanding social work students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship, a program funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by Dr. James Lubben.

The following individuals will each receive a $50,000 dissertation grant plus $20,000 in matching support from their home institutions that will enable them to more fully concentrate on their dissertation research projects over the next two years:

James Masten
New York University
School of Social Work
Dissertation Title: "Aging with HIV/AIDS: The Experience of Gay Men in Late Middle-Age"

Amanda K. Toler
University of Michigan
School of Social Work
Dissertation Title: "Social Support and Patterns of Formal and Informal Help Use for Mental Disorders: Understanding the Effect of Age Using the National Survey of American Lives"

Gretchen E. Alkema
University of Southern California
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Dissertation Title: "Translating Research Into Practice: A Community-Based Medication Management Intervention"

Nancy Giunta
University of California, Berkeley
School of Social Welfare
Dissertation Title: "Caregiver Support Programs and Policies: A Mixed Methods Evaluation of Implementation Efforts in 50 States"

Marylin Denise King
University of Maryland, Baltimore
School of Social Work
Dissertation Title: "Religious Coping, Formal Service Use, and Gain Among African American Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease"

Keith A. Anderson
University of Kentucky
Center for Gerontology, College of Public Health
Dissertation Title: "Death in the Nursing Home: An Empirical Examination of the Grief Experiences of Nursing Assistants"

This fellowship program is a component of the nationwide Geriatric Social Work Initiative, which seeks to expand the training of social workers in order to improve the health and well being of older persons and their families. It was created to help social work doctoral students overcome their greatest obstacles, such as limited teacher training and career guidance. These fellowships cultivate the next generation of geriatric social work faculty as teachers, role models and mentors for future generations of geriatric social workers.

Lubben, the Louise McMahon Ahearn University Chair at Boston College, directs the program with input from the National Program Committee of Leaders in Doctoral Education for Social Work and Gerontology. GSA provides overall administration and fiscal management.

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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1945, is the oldest and largest national multidisciplinary scientific organization devoted to the advancement of gerontological research. Its membership includes some 5,000+ researchers, educators, practitioners, and other professionals in the field of aging. The Society's principal missions are to promote research and education in aging and to encourage the dissemination of research results to other scientists, decision makers, and practitioners.

Posted on October 26, 2005