Increasing Aging Research by Social Work Faculty

College Of St Scholastica, Duluth MN

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed program has been designed to increase the national capacity for conducting high quality aging research in social work, thereby enhancing the health status of older adults. Thirty junior and mid-career faculty from bachelor's and master's programs in social work will receive advanced training with the goal of enhancing their ability to develop an active research agenda and integrating teaching and research on aging in their curriculum. We are committed to attracting and retaining a critical mass of women, minorities, and disabled faculty members. Program objectives include: (1) to increase social work faculty's knowledge, skills, and motivation for pursuing an active program of aging research. (2) To provide participants an opportunity to interact intensively with senior investigators and to promote the development of networking relationships among them. (3) To increase participants' awareness of NIA support available for conducting social work research in aging. (4) To increase the number of strong grant applications that social work faculty submit to the National Institute on Aging. The program will be promoted through a collaborative liaison with the Society for Social Work Research, Council for Social Work Education, and Gerontological Society of America. Program design includes an initial institute, ongoing consultation during the intervening year, a mid-year meeting, and a follow-up institute. Topics include Research Design, Measurement, and Analysis (Aloen Townsend), Evaluation of Interventions (Susan Hughes), Elder Mistreatment (Gregory Paveza), Caregiving and Disabilities (Marsha Seltzer), Ethnicity and Aging (Peggye Dilworth-Anderson), Preparing Grant Applications (Chandra Mehrotra), and NIA Support Available for Aging Research (NIA staff). A systematic evaluation will be conducted to monitor implementation of proposed activities and to determine their effectiveness in achieving the intended outcomes. The co-directors and the participants will disseminate their NIA-supported activities via conference presentations, publications, and Web sites.