CEO Blog

Resulting from the first call for papers of its kind, The Gerontologist has published a new special issue, “Social Determinants of Health in the Context of Race and Age,” which offered those with an interest in intersectional scholarship an opportunity to apply non-traditional theories, methods, and analysis to the study of gerontology.

The eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), developed by the World Health Organization, was rolled out at the beginning of this year. Among its new revisions were some items that caught the attention of the gerontological community: “old age” being classified under general symptoms and an extension code for “aging-related.”

According to the most recent issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR), titled “A World with Alzheimer’s Disease,” there is a large and growing gap between what can be done to help persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers and what is actually being done, and this gap only widens with the lack of public education, provider training, and implementation of proven care approaches.

Since its inception in February 2021, the UNITE initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been working to identify and address structural racism within the NIH-supported and the greater scientific community, and to establish an equitable and civil culture within the biomedical research enterprise and reduce barriers to racial equity in the biomedical research workforce.

As part of this work, the initiative has been conducting a series of public online sessions to present the latest data and ideas on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the biomedical workforce and in research, and featuring leaders from the NIH community as well as other experts from the biomedical research community.

As busy researchers, clinicians, and educators, the time you have available for other professional endeavors is limited. Yet so many GSA members make the time to be fully engaged with their Society, strengthening the field daily.

So during this Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’re celebrating YOU as GSA could not move forward without the volunteer commitments of its members. GSA President Peter Lichtenberg says it best in a new video he’s recorded especially for this occasion.