CEO Blog

The National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) convenes three times annually. NACA plays many roles. It reviews new proposed concept clearances, reviews applications for grants and cooperative agreements for research and training, and recommends approval of applications for projects that show promise, along with other duties. The next meeting is January 21 and 22.

Read more: Join the Next NACA Meeting via Videocast on Wednesday, January 22

The GSA meetings team just completed a wonderful site visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the host city for the GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting, taking place November 4 to 8. We toured the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, which will serve as the headquarters hotel. This is in central location, meaning attendees will be able to take advantage of a thriving restaurant scene and explore historic Reading Terminal Market.

Read more: Philadelphia to Host GSA’s 75th Anniversary Meeting in November

Bill Gates’ well-known quote, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten,” is a useful reminder to the aging research, practice and education communities as we collectively march into the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed Decade of Healthy Aging (2020-2030).

Read more: New 'Decade of Healthy Aging' Helps Us Measure Research Progress

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about GSA’s upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston. People are eager to attend and share in the advancement of aging research. We’ve already got more than 3,000 pre-registrants, with many more expected. This year, GSA received a total of 4,395 abstract submissions (including individual symposium abstracts) — a 21 percent increase from the 3,612 received in 2016! Submissions were received from 45 countries, with the majority coming from the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, and the U.K.

Read more: Say Hello in Boston!

It is with a very heavy heart that I share news about the loss of Greg O’Neill, a beloved member of the GSA team for more than 20 years. He passed away September 5 at the age of 51 after a long illness.

Read more: In Memory of Our Friend Greg O’Neill

GSA had the honor of hosting a reception for the 2018 class of National Institute on Aging (NIA) Butler-Williams Scholars during their week-long immersive training program here in the DC metro area earlier this month.
 
The Butler-Williams Scholars Program is designed for junior faculty and researchers new to aging.  Given GSA’s role as a home for junior scholars through the Society’s Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization, supporting this event was a natural.

Read more: Supporting the Next Generation of Emerging Scholars

GSA’s Journalists in Aging Fellows Program is about to have a record year! We’re currently accepting applications to welcome 20 reporters in 2018, a new high for us.

GSA has a longstanding commitment to showcasing the extraordinary value of the scholarship conducted by its members, and this program is one of the highly visible ways we accomplish this. The stories produced by the fellows, who hail from many different sectors of the consumer press, reach tens of millions of readers, listeners, and viewers each year.

Read more: Aging Research Finds New Audiences Through GSA Journalist Fellows

On May 10, GSA hosted a Capitol Hill briefing to launch “Longevity Economics: Leveraging the Advantages of an Aging Society,” a new report we developed with support from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

The title was very deliberately chosen, particularly the word “advantages.” The report takes direct aim at the conventional wisdom that many believe regarding an aging society — that it is somehow inevitably a negative development. Nothing could be further from the truth. This report addresses many of the myths around population aging and provides examples of how population aging can be leveraged to improve economic growth and strengthen the country.

Read more: Older Americans Key to Nation’s Future Economic Health

Our field is in the midst of observing the 10th anniversary of the landmark “Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce” report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.” This publication, led by former GSA President John W. Rowe, pointed out that the number of older patients with more complex health needs increasingly outpaces the number of health care providers with the knowledge and skills to adequately care for them.

The challenge with all National Academies reports like this is determining how best to translate their findings into action. In 2008, GSA joined with other stakeholder groups to establish the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA). Since that time, former GSA President Michèle J. Saunders has been serving as co-convener of the EWA along with Nancy Lundebjerg of the American Geriatrics Society. The Alliance now boasts 31 member organizations. We’re grateful to the John A. Hartford Foundation for providing ongoing support for the work of the EWA.

Read more: Ten Years After ‘Retooling’ Report, Workforce Demands Remain High

I recently had the opportunity to brief 30 members of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations on the new Reframing Aging initiative that GSA and seven colleague organizations have championed with the extraordinary support of nine forward-thinking funders.

This initiative is based on research conducted by The FrameWorks Institute that found the public’s perception of aging differs markedly from what we as experts and advocates in the field know to be true. FrameWorks has developed and tested strategies and tools for changing the narrative around aging that address ageism and garner increased support for aging issues.

Read more: Changing the “Conventional Wisdom” on Aging: the Reframing Aging Initiative Moves Forward