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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH, School of Rural Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Health, TAMU 1266, College Station, TX 77843-1266, 979-458-1373, mory@srph.tamhsc.edu and Rachel Seymour, PhD, Institute for Health Research and Policy, Center for Research on Health and Aging, 1747 W. Roosevelt Rd, Room 558, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60608.

The field of Gerontology has blossomed over the past thirty years—as evidenced by the scope of research now being summarized in the sixth edition of the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. This presentation will highlight some changes that have occurred over the past thirty years in terms of research and the academy. In particular four emergent developments will be discussed: 1) a greater attention to transdisciplinary research--among the social sciences as well as between the behavioral sciences and the biological and medical sciences; 2) an explicit emphasis on research to practice—with special attention to the emergence and evaluation of evidence-based practice and its counterpart practice-based research; and 3) a dedicated attempt to conduct research with more diverse populations—both in terms of research participants as well as increasing the pool of qualified researchers; and 4) an increasing sophistication in terms of research methodologies and analytical strategies—with an awareness of the benefit of mixed methods. This presentation will highlight how federal funding initiatives have helped shape the field (e.g., substantial support from the National Institute on Aging). It will also summarize some continuities—i.e., how research perspectives have passed down from distinguished scholars through their students and how some topics seem to remain salient but are repackaged over time—e.g., renewed interest in intergenerational research and practice. Summary thoughts about the advantages and challenges in combining aging and public health fields will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• To identify four trends in gerontological research over past 30 years
• To indicate constancies and changes in gerontological research from an academic perspective

Keywords: Aging, Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No