Brian Lindberg is a Washington, DC-based advocate, policy educator, and lobbyist. He serves as a public policy advisor to several organizations, including the Gerontological Society of America and the National Association for Geriatric Education. Brian has served on many boards and advisory panels, including for the Institute of Medicine, CMS, NAIC, and the Planning Committee for the National Quality Forum (appointed by Vice President Gore). Currently, Brian serves on the Board of Visitors of the College of Public Health at Temple University. Brian worked in Congress for ten years on the House Select Committee on Aging and the Senate Special Committee on Aging. He holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Temple University and a Master’s degree in Management of Human Services from Brandeis University. He studied at the University of Stockholm’s International Graduate School.

Natalie Kean leads Justice in Aging's legislative and administrative health care advocacy in Washington, DC. Since joining Justice in Aging in 2017, Natalie has been advocating to strengthen health care programs that help older adults live at home and connect to their communities. She enjoys writing about complex policy issues in an accessible way and endeavors to connect advocates across the country to our advocacy through the From DC newsletter. Natalie developed a passion for using policy to improve access to health care while studying Medicaid in law school. As a navigator in her home state of Wyoming during the first HealthCare.gov open enrollment period, she helped people who were uninsured, including many older adults, navigate a new program and advocated for solutions to systemic barriers. Natalie holds a JD with a Certificate in Health Law from Saint Louis University and a BS in Economics from the University of Wyoming. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law and served as a law clerk to a US Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Georgia. Natalie enjoys living in Alexandria, Virginia, running along the Potomac River, starting the day with reading, ending the day with an IPA, and cheering on the Washington Spirit. Prior to moving to the DC area, Natalie lived in Manila, Philippines, for two years as a volunteer with Life Project 4 Youth, an entrepreneurial training program for young women living in extreme poverty.

Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. Ms. D’Antonio directs GSA’s policy initiatives and is responsible for developing relationships with organizations in the aging arena. She represents GSA on several policy coalitions and serves as co-chair for the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, president of the board of Protecting Access to Pain Relief, and a member of the steering committee for several federally focused coalitions. Ms. D’Antonio is also the executive director for the National Center to Reframe Aging, the central hub to advance the long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. Before joining GSA, Trish was the executive director for the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy and program manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy and safe handling of medications in the District.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and her Master of Science in Health Finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center.  

Dr. Ernest Gonzales is an Associate Professor and the James Weldon Johnson Professor at New York University, where he leads The Center for Health and Aging Innovation, the Healthy Aging Specialization in Social Work, and the Grand Challenge on Advancing a Long, Healthy, and Productive Life. He is a scholar in the areas of productive aging (employment, volunteering, and caregiving), equity, discrimination, intergenerational scholarship, and social policy. His research advances our understanding of social structures that optimize the ability to live a long, healthy, and meaningful life.

Helen Nguyen-Pham is a Master of Arts student in Gerontology at San Francisco State University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College. With experience spanning healthcare and aging services, Helen brings a multidisciplinary approach to advancing the well-being and dignity of aging populations. She has worked closely with older adults as an In-Home Supportive Services care provider, dental assistant, and long-time community volunteer at Vi at Palo Alto (CCRC). Helen also contributed to the start-up of an internal medicine clinic focused on delivering culturally responsive care to Southeast Asian communities during the post-COVID recovery period. Her academic and professional interests focus on promoting equitable aging, elder justice, and mental health access. With research training from the Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory and independent study on first-generation college students, Helen is dedicated to connecting research, advocacy, and hands-on practice to build more supportive and age-friendly communities.

Dr. Anna MacKay-Brandt is a clinical psychologist with specialized training in neuropsychology and geriatrics. She earned her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, and completed her clinical internship at the Warren Alpert Brown Medical School. As a postdoctoral fellow with the Taub Institute at Columbia University, her research focused on cognitive and functional change associated with normative aging and interventional approaches to optimize cognition. She is a Research Scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and directs the Brain Aging and Mental Health laboratory where she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team on open-science neuroimaging initiatives and translational applications of cognitive neuroscience. In private practice, she combines clinical neuropsychological assessment with emerging research to help clients optimize cognitive performance. Her current work explores the central autonomic nervous system's role in attention and self-regulation, aiming to develop personalized strategies that support cognitive health and functional performance across the lifespan.

Jordan P. Lewis is Aleut and Sugpiaq, and his family is from the Naknek Native Village in southwest Alaska and Cannon Beach, Oregon. He is the Director of Research for the Center for One Health Research and a Research Professor with the College of Indigenous Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He holds a Ph.D. in Community Psychology from UAF, an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BSW from UAF, and is a certified professional gerontologist. Trained as a cross-cultural community psychologist and gerontologist, Jordan has worked with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities to identify characteristics that enable Alaska Native Elders to age successfully, or age in a good way, and become role models for their families and communities. Using the lessons and experiences of AIAN Elders, Jordan’s research develops generative-based approaches to improve the health of all generations.

Sarah Neller, PhD, APRN, AGPCNP-BC is an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee. She is a committed gerontologist, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, and nurse scientist with a vision to advance research that promotes healthy aging by fostering well-being, intentional living, and life engagement among older adults. Dr. Neller’s work explores the cultivation of generativity and the concept of leaving a legacy of values to enhance social and communal engagement for older adults, ultimately helping them find purpose and remain actively involved in their communities as they age. Through her work and community engagement, Dr. Neller is dedicated to promoting healthy longevity and improving the quality of life for older adults.

David Almeida is Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and a faculty member of the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Victoria. Dr. Almeida’s research examines the effects of biological and self-reported indicators of stress on health. His primary interest has been the role of daily stress on healthy aging, but he has also examined stress processes in specific populations and contexts, such as the workplace and family interactions, parents of children with developmental disabilities, and family caregivers. Dr. Almeida has held leadership roles in three National Institutes of Health Research Initiatives, including: the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study; the Work, Family & Health Research Network; and the Science of Behavior Change Network. He is also the Director of a National Institute of Aging T32 training program on Psychosocial and Biological Pathways to Healthy Aging.

María P. Aranda, PhD, MSW, MPA, LCSW, is an internationally recognized social worker and sociobehavioral scholar in the fields of social work, gerontology, and health equity. She is Professor of Social Work with a joint appointment in Gerontology at the University of Southern California. She holds the Margaret W. Driscoll/Louise M. Clevenger Professorship in Social Policy and Administration. Dr. Aranda specializes in the area of medical and psychiatric comorbidity in adult and older adult populations, specifically in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, psychosocial interventions for individuals and family care partners, health disparities, and ADRD. Dr. Aranda is the Executive Director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. She has extensive experience in randomized trials, ethnographic methods, large-scale epidemiological research, stakeholder engagement, and innovative recruitment and retention protocols with underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the US and international populations.

Dr. Camacho earned his PhD in Social Work in Advanced Clinical Practice at Columbia University. His postdoctoral training is in Behavioral Geriatrics from the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Camacho’s research focuses on developing and testing strategies that enhance the prevention and management of prevalent and morbid conditions associated with aging (e.g., chronic pain, loneliness, cognitive impairment) among Latino (Hispanic/Latinx) and other minoritized older adults. His work has been supported by the Council on Social Work Education Minority Fellowship Program, Columbia Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Alzheimer’s Disease Disparities, Cornell’s Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life, Clin-Star, and the National Institute on Aging. His research is informed by his extensive direct clinical practice as a bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural (Mexican and American) clinical social worker, as well as his personal experiences as a caregiver.

Catherine Cheng, PhD, is a Toxicologist at Procter & Gamble, where she supports consumer safety within the Global Product Stewardship organization. Her previous roles include pharmaceutical and medical device regulatory affairs. Dr. Cheng holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and completed her doctoral research in the Biology of Aging at the Barshop Institute in UT Health San Antonio; her research focused on sex-specific and age-related responses to pharmacological agents in lifespan studies conducted by the NIA Interventions Testing Program.

James F. Nelson, PhD, FGSA, is a professor of cellular and integrative physiology at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Nelson’s research aims to understand the genetic and physiological basis for aging, using nutritional and pharmacologic interventions. Eight of his more than 110 publications have been cited between 500 and 4,100 times. His early work focused on female reproductive aging in mice and humans, with findings that continue to be highly cited. His studies of dietary restriction have identified an important role of hyperadrenocorticism in its anti-aging effects as well as striking genetic variation in its ability to extend lifespan. For over two decades, he has participated in the National Institute on Aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP), which has identified 13 drugs that increase longevity in genetically heterogeneous mice. Many of these compounds are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other purposes. Dr. Nelson’s current work, analyzing the enormous lifespan dataset of the ITP, has uncovered striking sex differences in the life-extending efficacy of those drugs as well as in the age-specific mortality of the untreated mice that remarkably parallels that of humans. A major focus is to understand the biological bases for these sex differences in aging and drug efficacy, with the long-term goal of improving the lives of all of us as we grow older. Mentoring the next generation of geroscientists is a passion, manifest by his directorship of a PhD training program and the number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows he has mentored. 

Dr. Nancy Sin is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She received her PhD from the University of California, Riverside, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in geriatrics at UC San Francisco and gerontology at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on the biological, psychological, and behavioral pathways that link daily well-being and stress to downstream health and aging outcomes. She is an active GSA member and has held leadership roles in the American Psychological Association (Division 20) and the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine. In recognition of her scientific contributions, Dr. Sin was awarded the American Psychological Association’s Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging, the Michael Smith Health Research Scholar Award, and the Innovative Research on Aging Award from the Mather Institute. Dr. Sin established the Diversity Mentorship Program at UBC, which provides mentorship and professional development support for students from diverse, under-resourced, traditionally underrepresented, and/or marginalized backgrounds.

Dr. Soomi Lee is an associate professor of Aging Studies at Penn State. She is a developmental and behavioral health scientist interested in sleep, pain, and lifestyle factors that underlie healthy aging. Dr. Lee has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles in these topic areas. She is an associate editor of the National Sleep Foundation’s journal, Sleep Health, and serves on the editorial board of SLEEP. In honor of her contributions to the field of aging, Dr. Lee received the Springer Early Career Achievement Award by the American Psychological Association. Her work has been supported by multiple external funding mechanisms. For example, she received an NHLBI R01 award to examine longitudinal relationships between sleep health profiles and chronic pain mediated by social lifestyles and stress-related inflammation. This was to extend her prior R56 project funded by NIA that identified different sleep health profiles in relation to cardiovascular and cognitive health.

David Chiriboga received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1972, but was appointed to the faculty of the University of California, San Francisco in 1969. After leaving the latter institution in 1986 to become director of a gerontology center at San Jose State University, he joined the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he served as professor and chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Gerontology. From 2001 to 2023, he was a professor at the University of South Florida, where he currently holds an emeritus appointment. Dr. Chiriboga’s research has focused primarily on the measurement of varying types of stressor conditions, especially in disadvantaged populations. Topics included normative and non-normative transitions, caregiving to persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and immigration. He joined GSA in the 1960s.

Professor Wilber is director of the Secure Old Age lab, co-director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center, and co-director of the USC Center on Elder Justice. Her research focuses on improving outcomes and quality of life for vulnerable older adults, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers. Focusing on adults with chronic illness, disability, cognitive impairment, and/or economic insecurity, her research includes studies on: 1) financial and workplace security for family caregivers, 2) the effectiveness of caregiver social support and psychoeducational interventions to prevent elder mistreatment, 3) person centered approaches in health care, social services, and protective services, 4) the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of multi-disciplinary teams to address elder mistreatment, and 3) the prevalence of elder mistreatment.

Steven H. Zarit is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Family Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. He is a pioneer in research on family caregivers of persons with dementia. His research includes evaluation of psychosocial interventions for persons with dementia and family relationships across the life span. He has been a GSA member since 1972.

Keith Kleszynski, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Research in the Section of Geriatric Medicine in the OUHSC Department of Medicine. Keith is also the Associate Director of the Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative. Keith holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma. He has 15 years of research experience, including conducting research with older Oklahoman adults, American Indian tribes, undocumented Latino immigrants in the U.S., drug court enrollees, and former undocumented Latino immigrants who have returned to Mexico and Latin America. His specialties and research interests involve qualitative research methodologies, population health disparities, geriatric health issues, aging issues, active living, identity, and migration.

Giuliana Casanova is a PhD candidate in Gerontology and Geriatrics at the University of Aveiro, in collaboration with the University of Porto, Portugal. She is a recipient of a research fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), supporting her work at RISE-HEALTH on adult education, lifelong learning, and the impact of productive engagement on older adults’ well-being. She holds two master’s degrees, one in Social Gerontology from the Instituto Superior de Serviço Social do Porto, Portugal, and another in Social Work from Florida International University, USA. Giuliana is the founder and president of the first international GSA student chapter, established in 2022. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences, contributing to discussions on productive engagement and lifelong learning. As an active member of GSA, she has been awarded the James McKenney Travel Award and the GSA Student Leadership Award.

Sunghwan 'Justin' Ko is a PhD candidate from the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB), Odessa, Texas, USA. He also received his master's degree from UTPB in biology, with the thesis focusing on mitochondrial quality control in neurodegenerative diseases. He is currently affiliated with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) for his doctoral research in the lab of Dr. Sarah Ocañas, PhD. His research is focused on elucidating the effect of aging and sex differences in Alzheimer's disease (AD), with a special emphasis on brain immune responses and the effect of sex hormones.

Erin Staker is a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling at Marymount University and serves as the President of the university's Gerontological Society of America (GSA) student chapter. She is passionate about increasing student engagement in gerontology through research, advocacy, and professional development. As a research coordinator at the Marymount Center for Optimal Aging, Erin collaborates on projects and community initiatives related to aging. She is particularly interested in the impact of health promotion programs on the aging process. Erin earned her Bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech, where she double-majored in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology. She is actively involved in community councils and is a member of GSA's Social Research Policy & Practice community. Committed to bridging the gap between research, policy, and student leadership, Erin looks forward to sharing insights on building a successful Student Chapter and expanding opportunities for students in aging-related fields.

Dr. Christine Fruhauf is a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, specializing in adult development, aging, and prevention research. Her research interests include understanding the dynamics of aging families, with a particular focus on grandparent-grandchild relationships, interventions for grandparents raising grandchildren and family caregivers, and community-based initiatives aimed at enhancing resources and programs for healthy aging. Dr. Fruhauf is the director of her department’s Engagement and Extension programs, program coordinator for CSU’s gerontology interdisciplinary minor, and division director of the Prevention Research Center’s – Healthy Aging Division. Dr. Fruhauf’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, USDA/NIFA, and the Brookdale Foundation. She is a fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education, where she currently serves as chair-elect of the Academy.

Mo-Kyung Sin is a Dr. Lester and Mary Ann Sauvage Endowed Professor at Seattle University College of Nursing (SU CON). She is an experienced educator and a leader, as well as a NIH-funded researcher. Mo has been working at SU CON since 2004. She enjoys interacting with her students and feels privileged to be a part of her students' career development. Mo is currently serving as a chair of the Gerontological Society of America Health Sciences Section, which she enjoys very much and feels grateful for the opportunity. My research focus includes ADRD, biomarkers for cerebral amyloid angiopathy, chronic diseases, and neuropathologies. Mo collaborates with great researchers across the U.S. (and feels blessed). In her spare time, she enjoys movies, spending time with friends, cooking, and walking.

Kimberly D. Acquaviva, PhD, MSW, CSE, FNAP, is the Betty Norman Norris Endowed Professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Kim earned a PhD in human sexuality education from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, and a BA in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences. She is an AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator and Licensed Master Social Worker, in addition to being a Fellow at the National Academies of Practice.

Huai Yong Cheng was trained in internal medicine, geriatrics medicine, palliative and hospice medicine, endocrinology-osteoporosis, cardiology, and geriatrics education. He has been dedicated to scholarly teaching scholarship and leadership in geriatrics education for the last 20 years. Currently, he is the associate director of geriatrics education and evaluation and program director of advanced fellowship in geriatrics at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. He is an associate professor of medicine (academic track) at the University of Minnesota. Huai Yong Cheng received a Geriatric Academic Career Award. Teaching activities. He has taught more than 1150 medical students, 750 allied health care professional students, 400 internal medicine residents, 15 geriatrics fellows, and 300 community providers. Regarding scholarly teaching and scholarship, he received three geriatric education grants as a PI. He developed nine new geriatrics curricula using instructional design and assessments, including team-based learning, the escape room, flipped classroom, Ken’s six-step approach, and Gagne’s instructional design principles.

Laura K.M. Donorfio, PhD, FAGHE, is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Sciences. Dr. Donorfio presently serves as the AGHE Vice Chair. She is the co-author of the book The Gerontology Field Placement: Internships and Practicums in Aging (2023, Springer). Her present research interests include the impact of educational innovation and intergenerational experiential learning and, most recently, how social processes impact the health and well-being of older SGM populations. Prior to joining UConn, Dr. Donorfio was a corporate gerontologist and director of consumer research for The Hartford Financial Services Group, collaborating with AARP and the MIT AgeLab. In 2011, she started AGHE’s first Teaching Institute, which is now in its 14th year. Dr. Donorfio holds fellow status in AGHE (2014), was awarded the Clark Tibbitts Award (2022), and was awarded AGHE’s Distinguished Teacher Designation (2009).

Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. Ms. D’Antonio directs GSA’s policy initiatives and is responsible for developing relationships with organizations in the aging arena. She represents GSA on several policy coalitions and serves as co-chair for the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, president of the board of Protecting Access to Pain Relief, and a member of the steering committee for several federally focused coalitions. Ms. D’Antonio is also the executive director for the National Center to Reframe Aging, the central hub to advance the long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. Before joining GSA, Trish was the executive director for the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy and program manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy and safe handling of medications in the District.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and her Master of Science in Health Finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center.  

Laura Haynes, Ph.D. obtained her B.S. from the University of Miami and her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She did postdoctoral work at UCSD and then became a faculty member at the Trudeau Institute. During this time, she began studying how aging impacts the function of T cells. Her pioneering studies described both intrinsic and extrinsic effects of aging and senescence on T cell function and how this impacts the response to infection and vaccination. In 2013, she moved to UConn Health where she is currently a tenured professor in the Center on Aging and Department of Immunology. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for GSA and also serves as Field Chief Editor for Frontiers in Aging as well as a deputy editor for the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences. She is also the President of the UConn Health chapter of AAUP.

Karen S. Lyons, PhD, FGSA is a health and social psychologist at the Connell School of Nursing, Boston College and a member of the GSA Board of Directors. Her research focuses on the interpersonal context of illness (e.g., cancer, ADRD, heart failure), namely, how older adults and their care partners navigate illness together. Most recently, her work focuses on the development and testing of dyadic health interventions to optimize the health of both members of the care dyad. She has a strong record of mentoring students and early-career researchers, formed the GSA dyadic health research interest group, and co-leads the Boston College Healthy Aging Initiative.

Dr. Perry’s research addresses urban aging from a life course perspective, focusing on how underserved older adults navigate their social and built environments in times of instability and change. She serves as research chair of a multi-agency coalition, Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit. She recently received a national award on behalf of the coalition from the macro social work community. She is a co-leader of the NIH-funded Community Liaison and Recruitment Core of the Michigan Center for African American Aging Research. She is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and is a former president of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW).

Sarah Dys, PhD, MPA, is a senior research associate at the Institute on Aging at Portland State University with expertise in assisted living, residential care, and memory care communities and resident population health and outcomes. She is an early career member of the Gerontology Society of America, where she has served in leadership roles within the Social Research, Policy, and Practice member section. Dr. Dys earned her doctorate in Community Health from the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health with a specialization in gerontology. Her professional vision is to center aging in public health discourse, particularly at the intersection of housing, health, and social services provision. She specializes in weaving together quantitative and qualitative methods to tell stories that highlight the voices of those who live and work in long-term services and support (LTSS).

Patricia Slattum, Ph.D., Pharm.D., is a pharmacist and geriatric clinical pharmacologist. She works part-time with the Virginia Center on Aging at VCU as the co-director of the Virginia Geriatric Education Center Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program. She develops a geriatrics-focused curriculum for interprofessional training and has more than twenty years of experience establishing pharmacy and interprofessional practice models serving older adults. She serves as faculty in the VCU Mobile Health and Wellness Program, an interprofessional teaching and care coordination program in low-income senior housing that she co-founded in 2012. Her role in these efforts is to facilitate the integration of age-friendly practice into primary care. Her strength is in applying team science principles to interdisciplinary community-engaged collaborative projects to facilitate project success. She also serves as a Visiting Scholar at the Gerontological Society of America and as Co-Editor in Chief of The Senior Care Pharmacist.

Dr. Chung (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. Her program of research is directed toward developing, applying, and evaluating technology applications and AI/machine learning to detect early functional changes and social isolation risks, which may lead to adverse health outcomes. Focusing on technology-enabled prevention and proactive interventions, she aims to promote healthy aging in community-dwelling older adults, including those with health disparities. Additionally, she continues to work on advancing the technology implementation science by exploring the acceptability of digital health technology among older adults and caregivers in a sociocultural context. She utilizes design thinking to create user-centered technology solutions that meet the needs of older adult users. Dr. Chung's ultimate goal is to develop a community-based informatics approach that supports older adults in aging in place, maximizing their independence and function through the end of life.

Dr. Manka Nkimbeng is a nurse scientist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and an Affiliate assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Before that, she was a Robert L. Kane Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She received her Ph.D. in nursing from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, her MPH from the Boston University School of Public Health, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She works with communities to develop and test culturally appropriate interventions that can be translated into health policies and clinical practice to improve health and eliminate health inequities for older adults.

Dr. Yousefzadeh’s laboratory utilizes in vitro and in vivo models of aging to explore the effect of senescent cells, in particular senescent immune cells, on driving organismal aging. The mechanistic studies of cell and cell non-autonomous effects provide insight into interorgan communication and how different pillars of aging can serve to drive aging in a tissue or cell type-specific manner. Using samples from human and animal models of aging, the laboratory focuses on developing useful biomarkers of aging with translational potential. Lastly, the laboratory uses models of natural aging, accelerated aging, and preclinical models of disease to test the efficacy of geroprotective compounds like senolytics.

Mo-Kyung Sin is a Dr. Lester and Mary Ann Sauvage Endowed Professor at Seattle University College of Nursing (SU CON). She is an experienced educator and a leader, as well as a NIH-funded researcher. Mo has been working at SU CON since 2004. She enjoys interacting with her students and feels privileged to be a part of her students' career development. Mo is currently serving as a chair of the Gerontological Society of America Health Sciences Section, which she enjoys very much and feels grateful for the opportunity. My research focus includes ADRD, biomarkers for cerebral amyloid angiopathy, chronic diseases, and neuropathologies. Mo collaborates with great researchers across the U.S. (and feels blessed). In her spare time, she enjoys movies, spending time with friends, cooking, and walking.

Ali Ahmed, MD, MPH, is Associate Chief of Staff for Health and Aging at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at George Washington University and Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Dr. Ahmed is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on chronic heart failure in older adults. His work is funded by NIH and VA, and he has presented and published extensively. He is the recipient of the 2024 GSA Health Science Section’s Joseph T. Freeman Award lectureship in geriatrics. The title of his talk was “Improving Care and Outcomes for Older Adults: Propensity Score Matching to Artificial Intelligence,” in which he described his two decades of work on the role of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors on kidneys in patients with heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ali is the 2024 Joseph T. Freeman Award recipient.

Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the University of Chicago. As a clinician investigator and NIA K23 recipient, her research has focused on understanding how objectively measured activity and sedentary behavior patterns, resting metabolic rate, and body composition relate to frailty progression and frailty-related outcomes. Through her work, she analyzes accelerometry data to assess and trend activity patterns as markers of frailty. In partnership with NORC and Orbita, Inc, Dr. Huisingh-Scheetz also developed and is studying the impact of EngAGE, a technology-based tool utilizing a voice assistant to deliver exercise programming to older adults in their home to reduce frailty. The program leverages caregivers to provide social motivation to the older adult to simultaneously combat loneliness. She also helped establish and now co-directs the Successful Aging and Frailty Evaluation™ (SAFE) clinic in which she assesses and manages frail older adults in consultation. 

Brad Manor is an associate scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, the associate director of the Mobility and Falls Translational Research Center, the director of the Mobility and Brain Function Lab, and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Manor’s career goal is to alleviate the burden of balance decline that often accompanies biological aging into senescence. As the director of the Mobility and Falls Program, he works to achieve this goal by directing interdisciplinary, translational research in the fields of human balance and rehabilitative medicine. His research combines biomechanical assessments of human movement with advanced medical imaging, noninvasive brain stimulation, and nonlinear signal processing techniques to identify the link between brain function, balance, and falls in older adults and design rehabilitative interventions that improve balance via optimization of brain function and exploitation of its adaptive properties.