Eight students to receive Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work

Eight outstanding students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by James Lubben, DSW, MPH.

Each of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows receives a $50,000 dissertation grant plus $20,000 in matching support from their home institutions, which enables recipients to more fully concentrate on their dissertation research projects over the next two years. Fellows also receive supplemental academic career guidance and mentoring, as well as professional development enabling them to more successfully launch an academic career in gerontology and social work.

This year's cohort consists of:

Troy Christian Andersen
University of Utah
Dissertation Topic: Proactive Dementia Care: A Pilot Study of Social Work and Health Education Interventions with Mild Dementia and Their Care Providers

Louanne Bakk
Michigan State University
Dissertation Topic: Gender and Racial Disparities in Cost-Related Medication Non-Adherence: The Effect of Medicare Part-D and Factors Impacting Compliance Among Older Women and Blacks

Melissa Brown
Boston College
Dissertation Topic: The Work-Eldercare Interface: Workplace Flexibility and Well-Being Among Family Caregivers of Older Adults

Tamara J. Cadet
Simmons College
Dissertation Topic: Exploring Psychosocial Factors and Cancer Screening: A Comparison of Older Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women

Ernest Gonzales
Washington University in St. Louis
Dissertation Topic: Re-Entering the Workforce After Retirement

Daniel Kaplan
Columbia University
Dissertation Topic: Home Health Care for Persons with Cognitive Impairment: The Influence of Home Health Care Agency Characteristics on the Relationship Between Consumer Cognitive Status and Service Volume and Cost

Lydia Ogden
Columbia University
Dissertation Topic: Surviving Cumulative Adversities: Understanding the Experiences of Older Adults with Schizophrenia through Life History Narrative Analysis

Tam Elisabeth Perry
University of Michigan
Dissertation Topic: Leaving Home in Late Life: Negotiating Moves Among Older Adults and Their Networks in the Mid-Western United States

The fellowship program is a component of the nationwide Geriatric Social Work Initiative, which seeks to expand the training of social workers in order to improve the health and well being of older persons and their families. It was created to help social work doctoral students overcome their greatest obstacles, such as limited teacher training and career guidance. These fellowships cultivate the next generation of geriatric social work faculty as teachers, role models and mentors for future generations of geriatric social workers.