Hold The Date: Aging Exchange To Include Faculty, Student Presentations

The Fifth Annual Aging Exchange is scheduled for October 16, 2008, at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. (Our announcement in the May/June issue of this newsletter incorrectly listed the date as October 17.) An innovation this year is the inclusion of faculty posters, in an event which will continue to feature graduate students, postgraduate fellows and clinical scholars. Posters need not be original but are intended for information sharing about research across the UNC at Chapel Hill campus. Significant cash prizes will be given.

UNC Institute On Aging Staff Transition

Dr. Mary Altpeter has decided to transition from her current role as Associate Director for Program Development to that of Senior Research Scientist, so that she can focus exclusively on the Institute's rapidly growing health promotion training and research activities.

Ellen Schneider, currently Assistant Director for Communications and Program Relations, will step into the position of Associate Director for Operations and Communications, effective immediately.

NCCOA Is Less Than 3 Months Away: Register Now

“Healthy? Wealthy? And Wise? Growing Older in North Carolina,” is the theme of the 7th Annual North Carolina Conference on Aging. Older adults today should have the benefits of improved health, access to health care and a later life of economic prosperity not known to previous generations. But is it really true? The Conference will provide a forum to explore that question as well as other issues important to aging. Join us at the Greenville Convention Center and Hilton Hotel in Greenville, NC, October 28-30th: registration is open along with the pre-program. A complete listing of sessions with abstracts will be available on the conference website in late August. The deadline to receive the block room rate at the hotel is September 25th, and early registration ends on October 9th.

Interest Group On The Aging Workforce: First Meeting 10/7/08

Peter Stein, IOA Assistant Director-Aging Workforce Initiatives is happy to announce that the IOA Interest Group on the Aging Workforce will hold its first meeting of 2008-2009 on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at the Institute from 1 to 3 p.m. Ann Johnson, the Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Task Force on Aging, Victor Marshall, IOA Director, and Peter Stein will provide a summary of the Forum on North Carolina’s Aging Workforce (which will be held in Raleigh September 23-24, 2008). RSVP for the October 7 meeting no later than October 3 to Diane Wurzinger, 919-843-2647 or diane_wurzinger@unc.edu.

Falls Prevention Featured In Radio Interview

Thanks to the support of GlaxoSmithKline, falls prevention was featured in a "State of Our Health" radio spot on the NC State Government radio station (570 AM) on June 26th. In the five minute interview, Ellen Schneider, IOA Assistant Director of Communications and Program Relations, discussed the breadth of the issue of older adult falls, risk factors, and the importance of the new NC Falls Prevention Coalition. Listen to the interview and read the press release.

New Health Promotion Training Modules Available

Through a contract from the NCOA's Center for Healthy Aging, Dr. Mary Altpeter, Danielle Borasky, and Ellen Schneider of the UNC Institute on Aging recently completed a series of online training modules on evidence-based health promotion for older adults. The modules are designed primarily for aging services providers but are also valuable resources for those who work in a public health or human services agency, or students in gerontology or a health discipline.

Hold The Time: IOA Seminars

The Institute on Aging Seminar Series for the upcoming semester has been scheculed for Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 pm. Visit the Seminar Series web page for more information about the series. The full schedule will be posted there and on our events calendar as it becomes available.

A Note From IOA Director Victor Marshall

So long as I can remember, the state of North Carolina has been strong in aging research, and I sense it has never been stronger than now. With the election of Peggye Dilworth-Anderson (Director of IOA’s Center for Aging and Diversity) as President-Elect of The Gerontological Society of America, we are reminded that she will not be the first GSA president from North Carolina. Read the entire column...

A Note From IOA Associate Director For Research Jennifer Craft Morgan

This month, Showcasing Aging Research In North Carolina focuses on the investigation of the use of recreation therapy interventions with individuals with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms, in assisted living and nursing home settings, by researchers with the UNC Greensboro Gerontology Program. Jump to column.

New WILIS Study Results Available

The WILIS (Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science) Project has released new documents discussing the collected data. View the preliminary findings and summary reports on the WILIS Publications and Presentations page. WILIS is a partnership of the UNC Institute on Aging and School of Information and Library Science.

Good News For NC Colleagues

Congratulations to Edward Norton, formerly UNC Professor of Health Policy and Administration, Professor of Economics, and Director of the DEAR program, on his new joint appointments at the University of Michigan in the Departments of Health Management and Policy, and Economics.

Angela O'Rand, Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at Duke University, was recently recognized for a distinguished career of research in aging and life course studies with the Matilda White Riley Award at the American Sociological Association Meetings in Boston.

James R. Peacock, Ph.D. has been granted tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Sociology and Gerontology at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Kathryn Remmes Martin, a pre-doctoral fellow in the IOA's CPHAR (Carolina Program in Healthcare and Aging Research) program, has been awarded the UNC Highway Safety Research Center's annual scholarship, a competitive award to a full-time graduate student. Ms. Martin's career goal emphasis is community health with an emphasis on transportation safety.

Keith Whitfield, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, has been named Chair Elect of the Social and Behavioral Science Section of The Gerontolgical Society of America, and Michelle Cheuk, a doctoral student in sociology at UNC Chapel Hill, is Technology Chair Elect of GSA.

UNC School of Nursing Conference: Spring, 2009

Connecting the Dots: Geriatric Nursing, Education & Clinical Simulation International Conference, will be held from April 2-3, 2009 at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. More information will be available shortly at http://nursing.unc.edu/connectingthedots/, including a call for abstracts.

AgeinAmerica.org- New Views Of Aging

Libraries for the Future (LFF) recently announced the launch of a new website, AgeinAmerica.org, part of a project aimed at capturing and updating images of aging in the United States. The website reflects insights from museums and libraries working together in three diverse communities to spark local conversations about the meaning of age and the changing role of the older adult in the home, the workplace, and the community. IOA Director Victor Marshall is on the Age in America advisory board, and the project is part of LFF's Lifelong Access Library Initiative, in which the IOA is a partner.

Sagecasts On Biomarkers Of Human Aging

SAGE Crossroads, an online forum on emerging issues in human aging, has made available a series of 5 webcasts on biomarkers and the biology of aging. The presenters are Daniel Perry (Alliance for Aging Research), Dr. Richard Sprott and Dr. Huber Warner (formerly of NIA), Dr. Richard Miller (University of Michigan) and Dr. Donald K. Ingram (LSU). The audio files may be downloaded as podcasts (mp3 files) or transcripts (.pdf files).

Fulbright Grants In Gerontology Available For 2009-10

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering several research awards in gerontology in Pakistan for 2009-10. These awards afford scholars the opportunity to conduct research on a broad range of topics related to gerontology in affiliation with the faculty and resources of a Pakistani institution. Grantees will also give periodic presentations and seminars on their area of expertise. Grant length ranges from 2 to 4 months. Scholars will need sufficient language skills to complete their research. U.S. citizenship and a Ph.D. or its equivalent terminal/ professional degree are required. The application deadline is August 1, 2008. View the award listing and relevant contact information.

Newsletters From Nonprofits

The Summer 2008 Edition of Itineraries is now available from Second Journey.

New from NC Researchers

New from the Digital Library

Upcoming Events In NC

August 29-31, 2008
Paths to Creative Retirement workshop
Presented by the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement

Save The Dates

Aging Celebrations in September
Healthy Aging Month
Grandparents' Day- September 7
Active Aging Week- September 22-28

September 16, 2008 IOA Seminar Series
Longitudinal data analysis techniques for aging research
Lloyd Edwards, Department of Biostatistics and Head, Statistical Support Unit, Institute on Aging
3:30-5:00 pm, IOA main conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill

October 7, 2008
IOA Interest Group on the Aging Workforce
Summary of the Forum on North Carolina's Aging Workforce
Presenters: Ann Johnson, Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Task Force on Aging, Victor Marshall, IOA Director, Peter Stein, IOA Assistant Director of Aging Workforce Initiatives
1:00-3:00 pm, IOA 2nd floor conference room, 720 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill
RSVP no later than 10/3/08 to Diane Wurzinger, 919-843-2647, or diane_wurzinger@unc.edu

October 16, 2008
The Aging Exchange
1:00-7:00 pm, William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education, Chapel Hill NC

October 28-30, 2008
7th Annual North Carolina Conference on Aging
Greenville, NC
http://www.aging.unc.edu/nccoa/index.html

View our complete events calendar at www.aging.unc.edu/events/.

Community Bulletin Board and Jobs in Aging

Publication of this newsletter is announced via email listserv. Current and past issues may be viewed at any time at http://www.aging.unc.edu/news/newsletter.html . To join one of our lists, please visit www.aging.unc.edu/news/lists.html for more information. If you have information that you would like to include in this newsletter in the future, please send it to aginginfo@unc.edu at any time.