Funding Opportunities

The Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. is pleased to announce positions in their NIMH Postdoctoral Training Program commencing in the fall of 2006. Postdoctoral fellows should have earned a Ph.D., M.D., or doctoral degree equivalent in the social, health, and/or behavioral sciences. Funded by a training grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, these positions are for research focusing on the mental health of racial/ethnic minorities in the United States, with a particular emphasis on African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The salary stipend for post-doctoral positions ranges from $35,568 - $51,036 depending on experience level. Postdoctoral positions come with full health care benefits. Fellows will collaborate with one or more of the program faculty located in Ann Arbor, MI.; Seattle, WA; or Cambridge, MA who currently have over 200 publications in ongoing research related to the topic.

Applicants should send a letter stating research interests, relevant prior training, and a curriculum vita by February 15th to:

James S. Jackson, Ph.D.
Program for Research on Black Americans
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
426 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248
Phone: (734) 763-0045
Fax: (734) 763-0044

Research & News

Front Page Wall Street Journal Article Features Hartford Foundation Innovation "Hospital at Home"

The John A. Hartford Foundation-supported Hospital at Home project, led by principal investigator, Bruce Leff, MD, at Johns Hopkins University, received front page coverage in the national edition of The Wall Street Journal on April 19, 2006. The story provides a comprehensive look at this innovative "get well at home program," as the Journal called it, which provides professional, high quality acute care for older adults, and was created and tested with $5.9 million in grants from the Hartford Foundation.

For patients in the study, who suffered from four common age-related conditions-pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cellulitis-the research suggests that Hospital at Home reduced complications, diminished caregiver stress, and lowered health care costs by nearly one-third.

To link to the complete story, "House Calls: Portland Hospital Gives Acutely Ill a Homecare Option," and find other resources on this program, please visit: www.jhartfound.org/wsj.htm

NASW has announced three new specialty credentials for social workers in the area of gerontology. In addition, NASW has revised and updated the criteria for the ACSW credential. The new gerontology certifications are available for three practice levels including the advanced clinical level, MSW level, and BSW level.

The new credentials reflect the growth of geriatric social work. Furthermore, the certifications will distinguish social workers in aging as experts in the field. For more information on NASW credentials visit: www.socialworkers.org/credentials

Find out about the special issue of a recent issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, which includes four articles supported by The Commonwealth Fund. Rather than simply describing the problem of disparities in health care, the authors attempt to refocus policy discussion on finding solutions, including efforts now under way at the state and local levels.

U.S. Policy on Health Inequities: The Interplay of Politics and Research. By Vanessa Northington Gamble and Deborah Stone. The authors discuss a number of ways investigators can maximize the impact of their research findings on health care disparities. These include: focusing on intervention strategies; investigating the controllable causes of disparities, such as institutional rules; targeting political actors who have the authority to make changes; and being willing to use moral language to fuel political will.

Reframing the Racial Disparities Issue for State Governments. By Deborah Stone. The most compelling way for policymakers to frame the issue of disparities in health care is in terms of "distributive justice," argues Stone. Although health care is often discussed and provided as a market good, many Americans believe that medical treatment is essential to well-being, rather than an optional consumer good.

State Legislative Activities Related to Elimination of Health Disparities. By Kala Ladenheim and Rachel Groman. In this analysis of what state legislatures are doing to reduce disparities, the authors find that the range of state strategies reflects the differing ways states understand gaps in minority health.

Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Exploring an Outcome-Oriented Agenda for Research and Policy. By Brian K. Gibbs, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, Matthew D. McHugh, Amal Trivedi, and Deborah Prothrow-Stith. Standard variables are needed to measure the efficacy of disparities reduction initiatives, according to this article. The authors discuss their proposal for creating a "disparity reduction profile" and a "disparity index."

Visit the Underserved Populations section of the Fund's Web site for more resources on efforts to reduce health care disparities.

Resources

Earlier this year, the CSWE Gero-Ed Center launched its new e-newsletter Aging Times to provide an accessible and concise link to the resources, programs, and mission of the Center. In each issue, we present a special topic and recommended resources based on that topic. Aging Times is also the best way to stay connected to Gero-Ed Center projects and events, including the launch of our new eLearning course on the process of organizational change at the end of this summer (see the July issue for more details).

If you'd like to receive the next issue of Aging Times, coming in July, sign up by visiting http://www.Gero-EdCenter.org/Resources4/sub4_1_2AgingTimes.html. While you are there, read our first two issues on policy and intergenerational issues in the archive section.

New Book Offers Survival Guide for Geriatric Research

The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) latest publication is a tool to help health care professionals address the unique challenges of conducting scientific studies involving older persons.

The pocket-sized "Multidisciplinary Guidebook for Clinical Geriatric Research" was conceived during several workshops at past GSA annual scientific meetings. These sessions, sponsored by the Society's Clinical Medicine Section, focused on recent data showing a demand for both applied research in the discipline of aging and sound methodologies necessary to implement such studies.

This book offers information on preparing fundable proposals, conducting high-quality research, responding to regulatory requirements, collaborating with individuals in other disciplines, and assuring the protection of human subjects. All researchers - especially those new to the field -will find these guidelines invaluable. They offer benefit not only to those in clinical settings, but to anyone addressing the needs of America's rapidly-expanding senior population.

The book may be ordered online at: http://www.geron.org/guidebook2006.htm.

We Can Do Better: Lessons Learned for Protecting Older Persons in Disasters

By Mary Jo Gibson and Michele Hayunga (May 2006, .pdf format, 84p.).
http://www.aarp.org/research/assistance/lowincome/better.html

"Lesson Plans on Aging Issues" is a project of the Ithaca College
Gerontology Institute. The goal is to integrate issues of aging
into the social studies curriculum for grades 7 to 12. Get details
on the project:
http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52851.2667.5.1559151

Read a bibliography on "Teaching Children About Aging":
http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52851.2667.6.1559151

Would you like to know how to stay healthy as you grow older? Advice on eating well, obtaining good health care, managing high blood pressure, preventing osteoporosis-and a whole lot more-is contained in Bound for Your Good Health: A Collection of Age Pages, a new publication from the NIA.

This book contains information on 45 health topics of interest to older people. These are revised and up-to-date versions of "Age Pages," a series of easy-to-read brochures from the NIA. The 206-page book covers a wide range of common health concerns and is especially geared to help seniors find the information and resources they need.

To receive a free copy of this book, call (800) 222-2225 or order it online at: http://www.niapublications.org/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=45&cat=All+Age+Pages.

AARP now offers a site where you can search or browse through a directory
of more than 900 carefully selected Web sites on aging, regularly updated:
http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52851.2667.13.1559151

Read about a new Physical Activity Survey, 2006 by Teresa A. Keenan
http://www.aarp.org/research/health/healthquality/fitness_06.html

For more information contact:
IGSW at (617) 358-2626 or info@igsw.org.

Additional information is available:
http://news.aarp.org/UM/T.asp?A910.52851.2667.4.1559151

There is still time to submit an application to present at the 2007 Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging in Chicago, March 7-10.

The ASA-NCOA Joint conference, with more than 4,000 attendees, is recognized as a showcase for programs and projects that can be replicated, a forum for policy discussion and advocacy, and a prime source of information on new research findings in aging.

The theme of this year's conference is "Let's Rethink Aging." Submissions will be accepted in more than 50 categories, from adult day services to workforce issues and everything in between. A complete list of tracks can be found at: www.agingconference.org.

Vaughn DeCoster has received tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in the University of Arkansas School of Social Work.

Sandra Owens-Kane has been awarded promotion to Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Las Vegas.

Building Leaders in Social Work Education: Pathways to Success
A Two-Day Seminar Presented by the Council on Social Work Education

February 3-4, 2007
Francis Marion Hotel
Charleston, South Carolina Or
February 10-11, 2007
Phoenix Marriott Mesa
Mesa, Arizona

The CSWE Council on Conferences and Faculty Development and the Council on Leadership Development invite you to submit a proposal for presentation at one of the upcoming CSWE Leadership Seminars, Building Leaders in Social Work Education: Pathways to Success.

All presentation proposals should follow the theme of leadership development within social work education. Proposals that do not specifically relate to the theme WILL NOT be considered. CSWE particularly encourages proposals that will provide tangible learning experiences to meeting participants. We are especially interested in receiving proposals from individuals who have held leadership positions at any level and those who can share their demonstrated expertise to our audience. These could include best practices, case studies, and hands-on workshop formats.

All proposals will be reviewed by a group of volunteers from CSWE's Council on Leadership Development and Council on Conferences and Faculty Development.

To submit a proposal, please review the full submission guidelines here:
http://cswe.org/annualmeeting/07_calls.htm

Then, visit the online submission site here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=547512074758

All proposals should be submitted online. No paper submissions will be accepted. Submission is open until September 15, 2006. Please visit www.cswe.org for more information or contact CSWE Conferences and Faculty Development staff at: meetings@cswe.org