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Jonathan Riggs

Sep 13

Chinese Connection

By Featured

A longtime academic and professional partner to many experts, students and employers in China, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology made the influential newspaper Ta Kung Pao, the oldest active Chinese-language newspaper in China.

Covering high-profile visits by the USC Leonard Davis School’s Dean Pinchas Cohen, MD, Associate Dean Maria Henke, Dean Emeritus Edward Schneider, MD and Director of International Student Initiatives, May Ng, the newspaper gave an overview of the School’s mission, offerings and upcoming appearances at IIE U.S. Higher Education Fairs in Shanghai, Taipei and Hong Kong.

“An education from the USC Leonard Davis School is a true global passport,” said Ng, a native of Hong Kong.  “It will allow graduates to provide life-changing services, support and initiatives for their clients and their country—every country.”

Meeting with a slew of officials, including Administrative Vice Minister of Education Du Yubo and Vice President of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Li Shenming, USC Leonard Davis School administrators point to Asia as the area of the world where the aging revolution will have the most immediate and dramatic impact.

“By 2050, there will be more than 400 million Chinese citizens over the age of 60,” said Cohen. “Asia represents enormous gerontological challenges and opportunities, and we are proud to further our goal of improving the quality of life for all the world’s older adults of today as well as of tomorrow.”

To read the article (in Chinese), visit: http://paper.takung.cn/html/2012-09/07/content_22_1.htm

Aug 27

Congratulations!

By Featured

Lifelong Trojan and USC Leonard Davis School mainstay Linda Broder won the Staff Monthly Recognition Award from USC’s Staff Assembly and Staff Club.

The award, given to individuals who exhibit constant and dedicated service while making a genuine contribution to the quality of life at USC, comes during an auspicious time for Broder, who celebrates her 40th year at USC and her 37th at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology/Andrus Gerontology Center.

“I am grateful for and humbled by this recognition,” Broder said. “It has been my honor to serve the students, staff, faculty and friends of the USC Leonard Davis School, and I look forward to many more adventures at this wonderful institution.”

A key support staff member who is frequently the first point of contact for anyone getting in touch with the School, Broder is also the coordinator of the Andrus Volunteers, a group of older adults who are committed to promoting and enriching the study of aging by offering their perspectives, time and support.

“Linda Broder is always available for help and doesn’t give up until she finds an answer for anyone who comes to her,” said Andrus Volunteer Muriel Rothenberg. “She brings empathy to her position. We all know and appreciate Linda for her support.”

“Linda is the glue that has held together the efforts of the Center from its inception. She is an integral staff member with knowledge and ability that transcends generations,” said USC Leonard Davis doctoral student Patrick Beck. “Never has there been a person in the building with a bigger smile or warmer heart.”

“In many ways, Linda is the heart of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology,” said IT director May Ng. “It is a wonderful testament to her impact on so many lives that she is recognized with this award.”

At the next general meeting of the USC Staff Assembly, Broder will receive a check from the USC Staff Club and a framed certificate of appreciation signed by USC President C.L. Max Nikias.

According to colleagues and comrades-in-arms, Broder’s exceptional reputation and decades of selfless service made her a natural for this award.

“Linda Border is not only my supervisor, but also a dear friend,” said grad student and assistant coordinator of the Andrus Volunteers Elena Gonzalez. “I am in awe of all that she does for our School. She dedicates the overwhelming majority of her time to making others feel special and appreciated.”

“Although she never draws attention to herself and her countless good deeds, we are all proud to see Linda Broder honored,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “Besides being a model employee, Linda inspires us all with her compassion, cheerfulness and tireless dedication to all the best USC Trojan ideals.”

Aug 24

Welcome, Students!

By Featured, Students

Faculty and staff gathered together to welcome students, returning and brand-new, to the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology on Thursday, August 23.

“I’m just as new as many of you freshmen—I’ve only been here six weeks. Our School is already fantastic, but I want to make it the greatest school ever,” said dean Pinchas Cohen, MD “I wish everyone good luck and a great beginning.”

Briefly discussing their research and classes taught, members of the faculty offered their own encouragement as well to the students.

“I want to teach you all how to advocate for your parents and grandparents after a hospitalization,” said John Walsh, PhD “The USC Leonard Davis School is a great launching pad for your next step, whatever it may be. We are all your advisors—we’ve all been there.”

“I work to address issues facing vulnerable elders who need support of some kind: social services, health care, wellness initiatives, economic security,” said Kathleen Wilber, PhD “ I study all the things we need to serve the aging society we have and how those get integrated to serve an individual holistically. I look forward to getting the chance to work with you.”

“It’s amazing for me to think I graduated from the first class offering the Master of Science in Gerontology in 1977, so in 1976 I was sitting out there in the audience just like you guys are today,” said Cheryl Svensson, PhD “Along with James Birren, PhD, I teach Psychological Development through Autobiography, which helps you find out who you are in the sense of where you’ve been and where you’re going by looking inside.”

After the faculty’s introductions, representatives from the Student Gerontology Association (SGA) and the School’s newest student organization, Gerontology, Allies and You (GAY) spoke.

USC Leonard Davis School Students Elena Gonzalez, Patrick Beck, and Morgan Levine

“Our goal is to explore issues unique to LGBT aging and to help raise awareness,” said GAY founder and grad student Brian Gilad Wilson. “We welcome LGBT members as well as our straight allies. I’d especially like to thank Associate Dean Maria Henke for helping us get started. Maria rocks!”

The program closed with Aaron Hagedorn, PhD, discussing several potential internship opportunities before all the students introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their interests.

Coming from Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota and California as well as from Jamaica, China, Japan and Thailand, the new students were united in their desire to help improve the quality of life for all the world’s older adults, and their enthusiasm to start the school year.

“Ever since I started working as a receptionist in an assisted living facility, I knew I wanted to make a difference for older adults,” said Sam Moghaddamfar, an incoming grad student. “I chose the USC Leonard Davis School because it’s the oldest and best school of gerontology in the world, and I’m so excited to begin.”

Aug 14

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

By Featured, Student Profile

While many students might consider summer a time to take it easy, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology PhD candidate Jeff Laguna spent his taking advantage of several prestigious enrichment opportunities.

Over the summer, Laguna received two high-profile awards, the first from the AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation and the second from The Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP).

“It’s a wonderful honor to receive recognition and support from SMEP and AcademyHealth,” Laguna said. “Both opportunities provided by these organizations are uniquely different, yet each further contributes to my development as an academic and as a health services researcher.”

For the first award, Laguna was chosen to be one of 15 national AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation Minority Scholars who traveled to Orlando to attend the group’s Annual Research Meeting, a string of Methods Workshops and the Disparities Interest Group Annual Meeting.

The latter honor was a fellowship to enable Laguna to attend a quantitative analysis workshop at the Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis at the University of Kansas. It offered him further training in cutting-edge methodology and data analysis while also offering additional support for his research on healthcare disparities and hospice/palliative care.

“I’m excited to apply the skills, experiences and connections gained from these opportunities to my studies at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology,” he said. “What I learned this summer has already made a big difference in my research, development and perspective, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Aug 13

Success Story

By Alumni, Featured

Finding a job, especially in this economy, can be daunting for many new grads, but thanks to his creativity, training and support from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, recent alum Peter Lancellotti is living his dream.

After graduating with his graduate certificate this past summer, Lancellotti started a new career in business development with Blue Marble Game Company, becoming the company’s resident gerontologist.

“We are creating an innovative, comprehensive and cost-savings digital health game ecosystem,” he said. “Our strategy is to combine the strengths of empirical evidence with entertainment to provide a low cost method of therapy for health and wellness.”

Part of what attracted Lancellotti to Blue Marble was their focus on creating fun video games that could serve as valuable cognitive and physical therapy tools, especially the development of a suite of games aimed directly at helping with fall prevention.

“Helping older adults age in place is paramount in my personal and career goals. Another aspect of my gerontological goal is a strong desire to help older adults obtain and maintain health/wellness, while improving their quality of life,” he said. “My education at the USC Leonard Davis School has also afforded me the opportunity to educate a software development company to ensure that the design matches the needs of older adults.”

Crediting his mentors at the USC Leonard Davis School for their assistance, particularly Elizabeth Zelinski, PhD, Lancellotti advised students and job-seekers to focus on networking proactively and creatively as a key element to making the sometimes-rocky post-academic transition.

“Talk to everybody about what you want and what you do,” he said. “For example, if it weren’t for Dr. Zelinski, I would have never met the CEO of Blue Marble Game Company.”

With more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing for the telecom and technology industries before he decided to return to school, Lancellotti was initially drawn to gerontology so that he could better understand the needs of his older partner as well as his mother. Born out of this interest came his increasing desire to help improve the health and wellbeing of all older adults despite the numerous limitations, obstacles and difficulties they may face.

“Blue Marble is working to provide solutions to all of these concerns by offering a method to provide low-cost healthcare through the use of video games that are highly motivating and thereby improving adherence, allowing remote access and easy communication with therapists after discharge,” he said. “Not to mention, the games are motivating and fun!”

With the opening of this new chapter, Lancellotti is proud to get one step closer to fulfilling his personal dream of reaching his full professional potential, and points to his alma mater as a crucial step in helping him achieve it.

“The USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has the best program in the U.S. and quite probably the world,” he said. “Having internationally renowned professors at the top of their field, I received the highest level of expertise and an educational experience unmatched by any university in an environment that fosters and cultivates creativity.”

Peter Lancellotti

Jul 24

Rising Researcher

By Featured


The effects of neighborhood environment and social relationships on health and longevity fascinate Jennifer Ailshire, PhD As a sociologist and social demographer at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology/Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, she is involved in several major studies analyzing these effects on human wellbeing across the lifespan.

Appearing in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Ailshire’s most recent publication, co-authored with Sarah A. Burgard, PhDof the University of Michigan, studies the under examined links between sleep, one of the most essential life functions, and interactions with family, our most important social relationships.

In “Family Relationships and Troubled Sleep among U.S. Adults: Examining the Influences of Contact Frequency and Relationship Quality,” Ailshire and Burgard found that demanding family relationships can negatively influence your sleep, which may have serious consequences for your health and wellbeing.

“We found that individuals with strained and demanding family relationships, especially those who had regular contact with family members, reported more frequent trouble sleeping,” Ailshire said. “This study is important because it suggests that families—whether or not they live with you—matter for sleep and that even though sleep is a very individualistic activity, it is embedded in a larger social context.”

The duo’s findings have far-ranging repercussions for clinicians and health-care providers, whom they hope will use this data to help patients with trouble sleeping look at their issues holistically in terms of the stress brought on by their social and family relationships.

Ailshire’s focus on how complex psychosocial webs, layered relationships and physical environments influence health led her to successfully apply for the prestigious National Institute on Aging (NIA) K99/R00 grant. While the majority of these awards go to biomedical researchers, Ailshire became only the second awardee ever in NIA’s Division of Behavioral and Social Science Research.

“The K99/R00 is an extremely competitive grant that identifies exceptionally promising post-doctoral fellows and supports them during their transition to independence,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “I am delighted that Jennifer has been selected to receive one and we are all proud to have her do her work in the USC Leonard Davis School.”

Under the terms of this award, Ailshire’s proposed research will study how neighborhood environments influence health and functioning among its residents, with a special focus on older residents. To aid her research, Ailshire will complete additional training in the workings of the cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, neuroendrocrine and immune systems. In light of all of her success, Ailshire credits USC for serving as an excellent, supportive environment for a young researcher.

“In addition to being evaluated based on the proposed science and my strengths as a research scientist, my proposal was also evaluated based on the institutional environment and my mentors, including Eileen Crimmins, Caleb Finch and Margy Gatz,” Ailshire said. “I believe that being at the USC Leonard Davis School and the Andrus Center was a major contributing factor in getting this award.”

By Jonathan Riggs

Jul 19

USC Study Examines Abuse of Low-Income Latino Elders

By Featured

A sobering new study by researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology finds that elder abuse in low-income Latino communities goes largely unreported.

More than 40 percent of Latino elders told Spanish-speaking interviewers that they had been abused or neglected in the last year — yet only 1.5 percent of victims said they had ever reported the abuse to authorities.

Jul 16

Welcome!

By Featured, Mitochondria

Pinchas Cohen, a prominent researcher and leader in the field of gerontology, begins his tenure as dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, effective July 16. He will also become the holder of the William and Sylvia Kugel Dean’s Chair in Gerontology as well as executive director of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center.

Formerly vice chair for research at the UCLA School of Medicine, Cohen has overseen numerous teaching, training and research activities at UCLA and has been involved in programs related to diseases of aging, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic disorders.

Previously, he served as chief and professor of endocrinology at Mattel Children’s Hospital and associate director of the UCSD-UCLA Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center.

Focusing his research on the emerging field of mitochondrial biology, Cohen and his team have worked to demonstrate the importance of mitochondrial peptides in aging and longevity. He is co-founder of CohBar, a biotechnology company developing mitochondrial peptides for the treatment of diabetes.

Cohen has received several awards for his work in the field of aging, including a National Institute of Aging EUREKA Award, the National Institutes of Health Director’s Transformative Research Award and the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging.

He serves on the boards of several professional journals and societies, including the American Federation for Aging Research and the Growth Hormone Research Society.

A prolific author, Cohen has published more than 250 papers in top scientific journals and his work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

Cohen earned his MD degree with top honors from the Technion School of Medicine in Israel, and was a resident and fellow at Stanford University, after which he spent seven years at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I’m honored to be given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the world’s oldest and largest school of gerontology,” Cohen said. “I look forward to joining forces with our amazing faculty, staff and students to continue and expand the USC Leonard Davis School’s mission: to improve the quality of life for older adults through research, service and education.”

Jul 13

Her Honor

By Featured

A researcher whose work and influence can be felt on a global scale, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Eileen Crimmins, PhD, was named the winner of the 2012 Robert W. Kleemeier Award, one of the most prestigious given by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Named for an influential former president of GSA, the Kleemeier Award is given in recognition of outstanding research in the field of gerontology. Crimmins, who holds the AARP Chair of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School, is also the director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health as well as the Multidisciplinary Training in Gerontology Program and the Network on Biological Risk, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Her research explores the connections between socioeconomic factors, life expectancy and other health outcomes.

“Eileen Crimmins is truly one of the all-time greats. The importance of her work to gerontology—as well to science in general—cannot be overstated,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “We are enormously proud to see her recognized with this wonderful award.”

Crimmins will receive an inscribed crystal award during a special presentation at the President’s Opening Session in November for this year’s GSA, to be held in San Diego, CA. She will present the Kleemeier Lecture at GSA’s 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held in New Orleans, LA.

“I will receive this award not only because of my own research but because I am a member of the faculty at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology: the best institution for gerontological research in the world,” Crimmins said. “I am honored to join my fellow faculty members Vern Bengtson and Caleb Finch in the list of Kleemeier awardees.”

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