Tamara Baker, PhD, FGSA, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an appointed member of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatrics and Gerontology Advisory Committee, the National Institutes of Health Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, and Editor-in-Chief of Ethnicity & Health. Among Dr. Baker’s activities with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), she is a former GSA Secretary, served as Chair of the GSA Committee on Minority Issues in Gerontology, founder and co-convener of GSA’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Collaborative Interest Group, former Chair of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, and is the GSA Board of Directors President. Her background in gerontology, psychology, and biobehavioral health has evolved into an active research agenda focusing on health disparities/equity as well as understanding the behavioral and psychosocial predictors and outcomes of chronic pain and pain among older Black adults.

James C. Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), is the Chief Executive Officer of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The Society works to advance innovation in aging and disseminate information among scientists, clinicians, policy makers, and the public. He is leading the Society’s current initiative to “reframe aging” in America by fostering accurate narratives of aging to replace the outdated “conventional wisdom” that dominates public understanding. The 5,500-member Society is advancing major initiatives related to improving adult immunization rates, earlier detection of cognitive impairment, improving oral health, and demonstrating the impact of the longevity economy. Appleby is also currently serving a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Aging after being appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and he additionally serves on the National Alliance for Caregiving Board of Directors. Prior to joining GSA, he had a 17-year career with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) where he served in a variety of roles before being appointed Chief Operating Officer. Before joining APhA, he was on faculty at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (PCPS). Appleby holds a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from PCPS and a master of Public Health degree from Temple University. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Dr. MacKay-Brandt is a licensed neuropsychologist specializing in the measurement of cognitive functioning across the lifespan. She earned her PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, where her research focused on attentional control - a core component of complex processes including language and memory. She completed advanced clinical and research training at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Columbia University Medical Center, specializing in risk and protective factors for cognitive health. Dr. MacKay-Brandt is a Research Scientist at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, where she collaborates with cognitive neuroscientists on data sharing resources that accelerate scientific discovery and translate innovations for clinical and public health applications. Her current work examines the role of the central autonomic nervous system in cognitive performance tuning. In her private practice, she integrates gold-standard clinical assessment with research advancements to help clients optimize cognitive performance and navigate cognitive challenges.

Dr. LeRoy's research broadly focuses on love and loss, including the complex dynamics of an individual's body, mind, and spirit while processing loss-related experiences, such as the death of a life partner, or loss in the form of "living bereavement," where an individual begins experiencing loss while their loved one is still in their physical, earthly form. In addition, Dr. LeRoy and her research team develop health interventions that may mitigate the impact of loss-related stress on health, across the lifespan.