Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Current Activities
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Current Activities
GSA is in the process of implementing ongoing short- and long-term recommendations from the Diversity and Justice Working Group.
To assess the Society's current policies and proceudres and generate greater equity within GSA, we secured a DEI consultant that prepared a roadmap of prioritized steps and strategic goals and is working with a staff DEI Advisory Committee to focus GSA's DEI efforts.
To diversify GSA leadership and governing bodies, we require diversity statements from leadership position candidates, developed transparent rubrics for selecting fellow, award recipients, and volunteer leaders, and are building accountability into section chair reporting.
To broaden representation in the membership, we require race, ethnicity, and gender fields as part of the membership process, are enhancing our outreach efforts to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and have elevated the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel’s James Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award.
To foster opportunities for conversations on race and gender dynamics in academic, practice, and community spaces, we are expanding our education programming through ESPO webinars on social justice and a new Annual Scientific Meeting session topic on social and health equity, diversity, and inclusion.
To increase the representation of racial/ethnic minority scholars in our industry-leading journals, we are increasing the diversity of topics of our manuscripts and scholarship, and developing opportunities for special issues and guest editors from marginalized groups.
Diversity and Justice Working Group
GSA created a Diversity and Justice Working Group whose purpose is to make tangible and actionable recommendations to GSA’s Board of Directors for short-term outcomes to increase diversity and inclusion among the membership of GSA.
As established by former GSA Board Chair President Kathryn Hyer, MPP, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE, in 2020, this ad hoc committee reviewed existing programs and suggested new internal policies and practices that should be implemented to both improve the organization’s ability to meet the needs of its members and to bolster the contributions the society can make for addressing the needs of older adults.
Additionally, longer-term strategic suggestions for how to increase the external societal impact were developed by the working group.
After completing its charge, the working group was sunset in 2021.
GSA has a tradition of supporting an inclusive environment in aging research, education, and practice. Since 1987, the organization has been guided by a Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel, which seeks to increase the quantity and quality of research related to minority aging issues and to attract minority members in Society activities and governance.
Diversity and Justice Working Group Roster
- Roland Thorpe, PhD, FGSA, Johns Hopkins University (Chair)
- Adrienne Aiken-Morgan, PhD, North Carolina A&T State University
- James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), The Gerontological Society of America
- Kalisha Bonds, BSN, MSN, PhD, Emory University
- Kristen Cloyes, MSN, PhD, RN, University of Utah
- Carl V. Hill, PhD, MPH, Alzhiemer’s Association
- Yuri Jang, PhD, FGSA, University of Southern California
- Emerald Jenkins, MSN, Johns Hopkins University
- Peter Lichtenberg, PhD, FGSA, Wayne State University
- Charles Mouton, MD, FGSA, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- Ronica Rooks, PhD, FGSA, University of Colorado, Denver
- Tetyana Shippee, PhD, FGSA, University of Minnesota
- Elizabeth Vasquez, DrPH, University at Albany
- Robert Weech-Maldonado, PhD, FGSA, University of Alabama at Birmingham
