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I am delighted to welcome you to the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. We are proud to be the preeminent leader nationally and internationally in the field of gerontology, the study of aging across the lifespan.

We are a small school that offers a rigorous, highly personalized experience with eminent, caring faculty within a large, world-class research university. It is literally the best of both worlds!

As pioneers in both on-site and online gerontology education, we offer bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees; postdoctoral and certificate programs; and the option to minor in gerontology.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for all older adults everywhere through our research, service, and education. We couldn’t take our responsibility of reimagining aging around the world more seriously.

Global thinking is especially important to me. I gained invaluable academic, professional, and personal experience both in Israel and the United States. I have seen how interconnected and vital the health of all aging nations is.

For the first time in history, the aged will soon outnumber the young, a phenomenon true for nearly every country. This fact is changing the face of our planet. With the first wave of baby boomers soon approaching age 70 and millions more on their heels, this massive global demographic shift will impact every profession.

At USC Leonard Davis, we are at the forefront of the aging revolution.

Our school, faculty, and alumni have outstanding international reputations in biology, neuroscience, sociology, psychology, and public policy. The USC Leonard Davis School “family” includes talented students who continue to distinguish themselves.

Gerontology is a thrilling field with wide-ranging career opportunities. Among them are business, administration, medicine, advocacy, law, and nonprofit work. The opportunities here allow students to apply their own interests, passions, and goals to create unique careers and lives they dream of—lives of service and leadership.

You might want to investigate the scientific mystery of longevity, help families navigate difficult transitions, or create revolutionary technology. We often say in our school that the way the world looks tomorrow will be determined by the gerontologists of today—you! With the enormous challenges and opportunities an aging world presents, there has never been a better time to become a gerontologist.

My vision is to widen our School’s public health perspective and provide aging Americans with solutions, from new treatments to better services and increased advocacy. I am excited by our possibilities to further explore the intersection of aging with economics, communications, nutrition, and other disciplines.

More than 3,000 graduates have passed through the USC Leonard Davis arches and are helping to change the world by shaping a new chapter in human history. I invite you to become not just one of them, but one of us.

Dean Cohen’s Installation Speech

All my best,
Pinchas Cohen, MD
Dean, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Executive Director, Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center

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