Gaugler Chosen to Lead The Gerontologist Journal

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has named Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, FGSA, of the University of Minnesota as the editor-in-chief of The Gerontologist, effective January 2023.

“The Gerontologist is a flagship journal not only of The Gerontological Society of America but of the discipline writ large,” Gaugler said. “Ever since I began my post-graduate career in adult development and aging scholarship in 1995, I have looked to The Gerontologist as the premier journal in my field. The honor of serving as editor-in-chief is of immense professional significance.”

He added that serving the Society and discipline also has important personal relevance for him — noting that a past editor-in-chief of the journal, the late long-term care research pioneer Rosalie Kane, PhD, MSW, FGSA, was a mentor and colleague of his.

“When I first met Rosalie in the late 1990s, I remember viewing the framed covers of issues of The Gerontologist in her office from when she served as editor-in-chief from 1989 to 1992,” Gaugler said. “During our many freewheeling conversations, Dr. Kane regularly shared how her role as editor-in-chief shaped her career and offered critical opportunities to influence the science and scholarship of gerontology. For these reasons, service as editor-in-chief of The Gerontologist represents an enormous opportunity to contribute to the discipline that is core to my academic and scientific persona over the past 25 years.”

The Gerontologist is published by Oxford Journals on behalf of GSA. Launched in 1961, this bimonthly, peer-reviewed publication provides a multidisciplinary perspective on human aging by publishing research and analysis on applied social issues. It informs the broad community of disciplines and professions involved in understanding the aging process and providing care to older people.

The journal, with an all-time high impact factor of 5.422, is currently ranked seventh in the gerontology category of the Web of Science Social Science Citation Index.

“It is with great excitement that I welcome Dr. Gaugler as the new editor-in-chief of The Gerontologist,” said Elham Mahmoudi, PhD, the chair of GSA’s Program, Publications, and Products Committee. “Dr. Gaugler has had an extremely productive career in aging, particularly in long-term care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. He has received numerous awards for his remarkable work in aging research. He will bring a wealth of innovation and leadership to the Journal and its readership.”

At the University of Minnesota, Gaugler is a professor and the Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging in the School of Public Health; director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation in the School of Public Health; director of the BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Dementia Caregiving; and an emeritus Long-Term Care Professor in the School of Nursing.

His research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions. An applied gerontologist, Gaugler’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for persons with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older adults with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, Gaugler also has interests in mixed methods and implementation science.

He is a recipient of the Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Adult Development and Aging Research; the M. Powell Lawton Distinguished Contribution Award for Applied Gerontology from the American Psychological Association; the Dean's Award from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing; the Gordon Streib Distinguished Academic Gerontologist Award from the Southern Gerontological Society; an honorary professorship from the University of Queensland; and the Excellence in Post-Doctoral Advising Award from The Graduate School, University of Minnesota.

Gaugler also currently serves as senior associate editor of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. In addition to being a GSA fellow, he is also a fellow of the American Psychological Association.

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The Gerontologist is a peer-reviewed publication of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,500+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society.