Dr. Tetyana Shippee is a Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She also serves as Associate Director for Research at the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation and as Co-Director of the K12 Scholar Career Development Program with the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. An expert in social gerontology and a health services researcher, Dr. Shippee holds a dual PhD in Gerontology and Sociology. Her research focuses on two main areas: 1) improving quality of life (QOL) and other person-reported outcomes among older adults using long-term services and supports, and 2) analyzing patterns and contributors to inequities in long-term care quality among diverse populations of older adults. A growing portion of her work addresses care quality for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), with particular attention to quality of life and caregiver support.

Erta Cenko is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions. Her research targets conditions that predominantly impact older adults, including cognitive impairment and mobility disability. Her focus is on developing and employing wearable technology applications to facilitate health interventions and provide real-time assessments for aging populations. She is committed to the field of public health and aims to combine her research experience with her passion for teaching and mentoring to help train future clinicians and public health professionals.

Abigail (Abby) Stephan, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and an affiliated faculty member at the Institute for Engaged Aging at Clemson University. Her research often employs a mixed methods approach and takes an interdisciplinary, systems-oriented perspective to a) explore the influence of intergenerational relationships in family, community, and educational contexts on learning, development, and well-being across the lifespan and b) examine social and psychological factors that promote healthy aging. Stephan is also committed to advancing the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based educational opportunities that support learners across the lifespan. Two primary avenues for this work include a) creating resources and fostering mentorship opportunities to ensure high-quality training exists for current and future professionals in the field of gerontology and b) promoting lifelong learning through engaging and fulfilling learning experiences for older adults.

Itunu Akande is a lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Educational Technology and Library Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). He teaches Digital Media and Learning, Diffusion and Adoption of Innovation, Developments in Educational Technology, and Fundamentals of Instructional Design. His research interests broadly surround the philosophical foundations of learning and the ecological frames (cultural, social, psychological) of technology-supported learning systems. With backgrounds in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Media productions, and Education, his research embraces the intersections in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts/humanities, and mathematics) and explores contexts of learning within these spheres. Itunu's collaborations with pre-service and in-service teachers drive his need to investigate teachers' measures of competence, particularly in technology-aided learning spaces, to improve teachers' professional development and ultimately learning outcomes.

Dr. Hollis is a Gerontologist and Assistant Professor of Practice in the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona. She also serves on the Executive Committee for the Innovations in Aging Graduate Programs. Before her academic role, she held positions in behavioral health, aging services, and nonprofit executive management. Her passion lies in preparing the next generation of professionals to advance services and advocate for older adults. Dr. Hollis was appointed to the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel for the Gerontological Society of America and is Co-Chair of the Elder Alliance, an initiative housed at the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. 

Cynthia holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the American Public University. Retired, December 2023, she was the Executive Director of the Atlantic County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in New Jersey, with over 30 years’ experience working in older adult services. Currently, she is the Advocacy Consultant for the NJ AAA State Association, promoting older adult advocacy. Through her involvement with the New York Academy of Sciences, Cynthia was introduced to the ethical concerns when Artificial Intelligence intersects with this cohort, prompting her to take a deeper dive into this ethical digital divide. Her ability to speak and present on this topic at the NJ AAA State Associations 2024 annual retreat, GSA’s 2024 Poster Presentation, and USAging’s 2025 Conference, showed that various actors have an opportunity to learn about these AI ethical concerns

Justine McGovern, PhD, LMSW is the Chair of the Department of Health Promotion and Nutrition Sciences at Lehman College, City University of New York. Justine’s research contributes to increasing health equity for older adults in the urban environment, diversifying the gerontology workforce, integrating arts-based pedagogies into curricula and decolonizing gerontology. She publishes and presents internationally. Justine teaches at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral level. Licensed in social work, Justine has extensive practice experience in dementia care, senior services, and community-based mental health. She is the Chair of the Humanities, Arts and Cultural Gerontology Advisory Panel to the Gerontological Society of America and the international partner of the Irish Gerontology Society. She received her PhD and MSW from New York University's Silver School of Social Work, and her BA in American Studies from Yale University.

Walter R. Boot, PhD, is the Irving Sherwood Wright Professor in Geriatrics II and Professor of Psychology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. He is one of five principal investigators of the multidisciplinary Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE), an award-winning center funded by the National Institute on Aging that focuses on ensuring older adults can fully benefit from technology. He also serves as Co-Director of the ENHANCE (Enhancing Neurocognitive Health, Abilities, Networks, & Community Engagement) Center, which is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. ENHANCE focuses on how technology can support older adults with cognitive impairments. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Clara Berridge is a social gerontologist and Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work. For fifteen years, she has studied the ethical and policy implications of data and information technologies used in care, from remote monitoring systems to social companions. Her intervention research engages people living with dementia in decision making about how these technologies should be used in their care to reduce risks to values such as privacy and autonomy. Dr. Berridge’s work raises the profile of older adults’ diverse interests in AI discourse and has been cited in Nature, The Guardian, The Atlantic, New York Times, BBC Radio, and technical publications. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California Berkeley and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research at Brown University.

Dr. Kat Britt is an Assistant Professor in Gerontological Nursing at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, a 2024 Butler Williams Scholar, a 2021-2023 Psychology/Mental Health Jonas Scholar, a Geriatric Nursing editorial board member, and serves as the GSA ESPO Vice-Chair Elect and as a Board Member of her local Iowa Chapter Alzheimer’s Association. She completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, obtained her PhD from The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, and her Master’s in informatics from The University of Texas at Tyler. Her research focuses on protective lifestyle factors and cognitive care planning to inform nonpharmacological interventions for persons living with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and their care partners to slow decline.

Laura A. Rice, PhD, MPT, ATP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Her research focuses on the management of secondary impairments associated with physical disabilities and increasing quality of life and community participation. She is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional and director of the Illini Wheelchair and Scooter clinic. She received her PhD in Rehabilitation Science and Technology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010 and a M.S. in Physical Therapy and B.S. in Health Sciences from Duquesne University in 2004 and 2003 respectively.

Jessica A. Kelley, PhD, is Professor of Sociology whose research examines health disparities across the life course, focusing on race, socioeconomic status, disability, and aging. An expert in quantitative analysis of longitudinal data, she has published widely on life course influences on functional health, cohort trends, and social inequality in later life. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences (2021–2024) and Co-Editor of the Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Dr. Kelley also serves on several editorial and advisory boards and has been recognized with awards for her contributions to aging research.

Bussarawan “Puk” Teerawichitchainan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Co-Director of the Centre for Family and Population Research at the National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on family demography, aging, and the life course in Asia, with ongoing projects examining the long-term impacts of war trauma on the health and well-being of older Vietnamese war survivors and the dynamics of childless aging in Singapore and Thailand.

Mieke Beth Thomeer is a professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research focuses on how families matter for health throughout the life course, with a specific focus on processes related to gender, race/ethnicity, and sexuality. Her research on childbearing biographies and mid- and later-life health is supported by the National Institute on Aging. She is a former Deputy Editor for the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Yanping Jiang is an Assistant Professor in the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers University. She completed postdoctoral training in Health Psychology at Wayne State University and received her PhD in Health Promotion, Education, and Promotion at the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Dr. Jiang’s research focuses on advancing the understanding of the biopsychosocial processes through which neighborhood and social factors affect health outcomes in older adults, including older Asian Americans. Her long-term goal is to translate findings from her research and the broader literature into culturally sensitive, scalable intervention strategies to promote healthy aging.

Dr. Perone is the Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services and an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare. She is a licensed attorney and interdisciplinary scholar. Prior to her current role, she previously served as a senior health policy fellow at the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She also practiced law for nearly ten years and served as the Executive Director for a community-based nonprofit serving LGBTQIA+ older adults in the United States. Her research examines equitable aging, including intersections in long-term care, LGBTQIA+ aging, and health policy.

Joseph Saenz is an assistant professor with the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging. He focuses his work on understanding and explaining disparities in late-life cognitive outcomes using socioeconomic status, marriage, resilience, and environmental exposures throughout the life-course. He is especially interested in health disparities within the Mexican origin population on both sides of the United States Mexico border.

Suzan van der Pas, PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care/Health Campus The Hague, Leiden University Medical Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dr. van der Pas earned her PhD at the Vrije University Amsterdam, and her MA in Sociology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is a family sociologist and gerontologist with an emphasis on the governance of healthcare and welfare, with a particular focus on ageing. Her research examines processes that enhance intersectoral collaboration in healthcare and social care through an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Her work addresses organizational collaboration across health and social domains, patient and client involvement in community health and prevention, and the influence of social determinants of health on wellbeing.

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.

Dr. Elizabeth Vásquez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University at Albany School of Public Health and the Director of the Center for Elimination of Minority Health Disparities. Dr. Vásquez's research examines the individual-level indicators and the ecological impact of social context, which contributes to differential health outcomes in older racial and ethnically diverse populations, in particular, Latinos. Dr. Vásquez is a fellow with the Sustained Training in Aging and HIV Research (STAHR) program and an affiliated investigator with the Study of Latinos (SOL). She is an alumna of Programs to Increase Diversity among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research (PRIDE), the National Institute of Aging Butler-Williams Scholars Program, and the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI).

Dr. Cacchione is the Ralston House Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing, Professor of Geropsychiatric Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and Nurse Scientist at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. She is a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner who has practiced for over 30 years across the care continuum. She is a nurse innovator. Her research focuses on social robotics for older adults. She is the CEO and Founder of AgingSense, a startup technology company to improve the lives of older adults. Dr Cacchione received her BSN from Villanova University, MSN from Marymount University, and PhD from Saint Louis University. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa. Dr. Cacchione has over 100 publications and is the Past Editor in Chief of Clinical Nursing Research and International Journal. Dr. Cacchione is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the American Academy of Nursing.

Katie Trainum, PhD, RN, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, with a dual appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research in the School of Nursing. Dr. Trainum’s research explores how policy, financing, and workforce factors shape access to and quality of long-term care, particularly for older adults and Veterans. She is also interested in emerging models of care and their implications for nurse workflow, staffing, and well-being. For her dissertation, she collected primary data from nursing staff in Texas long-term care facilities to understand their attitudes and preferences related to care robots. Originally from northern Virginia, Dr. Trainum earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia. She worked as a bedside RN for five years before completing her PhD in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mark Yim is the Asa Whitney Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. For more than three decades, he has led pioneering research in modular robotics, with projects ranging from a humanoid robot featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the world’s smallest self-powered flying robot. His research interests span product design, robotic performance art, novel locomotion, and steerable needles, with applications in areas such as urban search and rescue and healthcare. At Penn, Dr. Yim serves as Faculty Director of the Integrated Product Design Program and Co-Director of Penn4C, a nursing–engineering–community collaboratory. Before joining academia, he spent a decade in industry, including roles as Principal Scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center (formerly Xerox PARC) and at Virtual Technologies, a virtual reality startup. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

Brinleigh Murphy-Reuter is the Founder and CEO of Science To People, a social impact organization dedicated to making science accessible, understandable, and culturally relevant at scale. Drawing on her background at YouTube and Google, and her master’s in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology from Harvard, she builds tools and strategies that help institutions, creators, and communicators share accurate, evidence-based information with the public. Their flagship project, VeriSci, is a purpose-built AI language model for science and health communication, complemented by Akari and VeriComms- two content creator-facing platforms that transform complex research into engaging, shareable content. Brinleigh’s work bridges the gap between academic expertise and public understanding, with a focus on health and wellbeing.