Faculty

Jon Pynoos, PhD

Professor Emeritus of Gerontology

Expertise: Housing, Fall prevention, Home modifications

Education

  • PhD, Harvard University, 1974
  • MCP, Harvard University, 1971
  • AB, Harvard College, 1964

Research

  • Urban planning
  • Fall prevention
  • Housing
  • Long-term care
  • Aging-in-place

Overview

Jon Pynoos, PhD, is a professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. He is also director of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence.

Pynoos has spent his career researching, writing, and advising the government and non-profit sectors concerning how to improve housing and long-term care for the elderly. He has conducted a large number of applied research projects based on surveys and case studies of housing, aging in place and long-term care. He teaches courses on Social Policy and Aging.

He has written and edited six books on housing and the elderly including Linking Housing and Services for Older Adults: Obstacles, Options, and OpportunitiesHousing the Aged: Design Directives and Policy Considerations; and Housing Frail Elders: International Policies, Perspectives and Prospects.

Pynoos was a delegate to the last three White House Conferences on Aging and is currently on the Public Policy Committee of the American Society of Aging (ASA). He previously served on ASA’s Board and as Vice President of the Gerontological Society of America. He is a founding member of the National Home Modification Action Coalition.

Pynoos has been awarded both Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships. Before moving to USC in 1979, Pynoos was Director of an Area Agency on Aging/Home Care Corporation in Massachusetts that provided a range of services to keep older persons out of institutional settings. He holds undergraduate, Master’s and PhD degrees from Harvard University where he graduated Magna cum Laude.

The UPS Professorship
In 1982, The UPS Foundation, a philanthropic program of the United Parcel Service, created two professorships at USC, one in law and one in gerontology, from an endowment they had created in the early 1970s to support research in justice and aging. The professorship in gerontology is designed for scholars who conduct research in policy issues related to aging, Jon Pynoos, PhD, held this chair until 2021 and was the second faculty to be appointed the UPS Professor in Gerontology at USC.

Email: pynoos@usc.edu

Office Location: GER 208C

Office Phone: (213) 740-1364

Fax: (213) 740-0792


Publications and links:

PubMed

Google Scholar

Curriculum Vitae