News Release

Dilworth-Anderson leads Gerontological Society of America

November 23, 2009

Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, PhD, interim co-director of UNC’s Institute on Aging and professor of health policy and management in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, was  inducted Nov. 22, 2009, as the new President of the Gerontological Society of America at GSA’s 62nd annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Founded in 1945, the Gerontological Society aims to promote the scientific study of aging, encourage exchanges among researchers and practitioners from various disciplines related to gerontology, and foster the use of gerontological research in forming public policy. With 5,200 members from 40 countries, GSA is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging.

“My vision for GSA is to help create stronger and different supportive venues and opportunities to develop and support the next generation of aging researchers, professors, practitioners, and policymakers,” Dilworth-Anderson said when elected to the position. “With my vision and GSA's momentum, we can help prepare the next generation of aging professionals and experts to address the growing diverse aging population in this country and internationally."

In addition to being interim co-director of the Institute on Aging, Dilworth-Anderson is Director of the Center for Aging and Diversity at the Institute. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Alzheimer’s Association and a member of the National Advisory Council for the National Institute on Aging. She serves on the editorial board of three research journals.

In 2005, she served on the White House Conference on Aging Advisory Committee and has been elected to previous leadership roles in the Gerontological Society and in the Alzheimer’s Association. She currently holds an appointment on the National Advisory Council on Aging, which advises the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. 

Dilworth-Anderson’s areas of expertise include minority aging and health, family caregiving, health disparities, and long-term care. Her current research focuses on health disparities pertaining to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her research and publications have included both theoretically and empirically-based topics on ethnic minority families, with emphasis on older African Americans. In addition to being cited in professional journals, Dilworth-Anderson's work has been cited in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, and numerous local and regional newspapers. She has received funding to support her research from the National Institute on Aging, the Administration on Aging, the March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation, the National Alzheimer's Association and the GlaxoSmithKline Community Partnership Program.

She completed her undergraduate training in sociology from Tuskegee Institute in 1970. She earned both her master's and doctorate degrees in sociology from Northwestern University in 1972 and 1975, respectively. She also received training in family therapy (1983-85) from the Family Institute of Chicago, Institute of Psychiatry, Northwestern University. In 1989, she received additional training in family issues and Alzheimer's disease from the Harvard Geriatric Education Center.

Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, (919) 966-7467, ramona_dubose@unc.edu

News Services contact: Patric Lane, (919) 962-8596, patric_lane@unc.edu

Institute on Aging contact: Ellen Schneider, (919) 843-8528 or eschneider@schsr.unc.edu