Continuing my digest here, part of an update for my Change Rangers website Resource section, where I feature some of the organizations that conduct research and publish content on ageing and longevity. These are in addition to the professional associations, academia and organizations I regularly follow and showcase in my weekly blog posts. If you are exploring career opportunities in the field or just want to research what’s up, then hopefully this will help you get started.
In part one of this series I started in Canada, with links to academic institutions. Let’s travel to next to American universities or colleges and, as you can imagine, there are so many in the USA that could make this list, but I’ve chosen five that illustrate a range of topic areas that include a focus beyond non-medical health themes in aging and a longevity society.
Columbia University, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center with its legacy from that globally renowned gerontologist and psychiatrist. Butler died in 2010. He founded the International Longevity Center (ILC) in 1990, and as a multinational network is still connected to Columbia. As the Columbia Aging Center proudly states, “we are training the next generation of aging researchers and policy makers.” One sample of its courses is The Global Politics of Aging.
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has along standing reputation since 1975, offering an in-depth selection of gerontology degree programs including a Master of Science in Applied Technology in Aging. Fabulous website that articulates their story in a clear way, and as you poke around, look for their list of ten or so Research Institutes & Centers which notably contains one on Elder Justice.
Florida State University, Institute for Successful Longevity takes advantage of its multidisciplinary expertise across the university to research on aging – overall health and cognition, mobility and other areas including financial security. In addition the institute has connection with a dozen other centres, institutes and programs which cover the spectrum of social issues such as Aging and Public Policy and Exploring Careers in Aging.
University of Texas at Austinfounded theTexas Aging & Longevity Consortium in 2018 and large as life they state Texas is the Future of Aging with their mission to “support the development of interventions to improve the lives of older adults…” and has “…partnered with 97 community based professionals focused on serving, advocating for, and providing resources to elders and their caregivers across Texas.” Five research areas include Social Environment and Aging.
University of Iowa has three certificate degree programs in Aging and Longevity Studies administered by their School of Social Work which is well placed. In 2018 I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by the Director, Mercedes Bern-Klugand her colleague Amy Lemke in Toronto at the IFA Conference, titled Addressing the growing psychosocial end of life care needs of older adults in nursing homes: The Value of Social Work. To this day still resonates.
Coming soon in Part 3 of this Ageing & Longevity Resource Digest series – a look at a selection universities and colleges from five countries around the world outside of North America.
