The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Richard M. Allman, MD, of the Birmingham VA Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as the 2013 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award.
This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. It was established in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent, PhD, for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings into practical use.
The award presentation will take place at GSA's 66th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 20 to 24 in New Orleans. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit http://www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.
Allman is the director of the Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and is the Parrish Endowed Professor of Medicine at UAB, where he also serves as the director of the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging. He additionally is the director of the National Institute on Aging-funded Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and the co-director of the John A. Hartford Foundation-funded Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, a career development and training program for physicians at UAB and Emory University.
Allman's research program is funded by the National Institute on Aging and focuses on understanding the causes of mobility loss and testing new ways of helping older adults maintain or enhance mobility. He also has a long-standing interest in age and ethnic disparities in health, and geriatric care quality improvement, especially as it relates to cardiovascular disease and preventive health services.
He is a magna cum laude graduate of West Virginia University, where he also received his medical school and internal medicine residency training. Allman completed fellowship training in general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. Allman is a GSA fellow, which represents the Society's highest class of membership.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society — and its 5,400+ members — is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.