The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Markus H. Schafer, PhD, of the University of Toronto and Kenneth F. Ferraro, PhD, and Sarah A. Mustillo, PhD, of Purdue University as the 2013 recipients of the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award.
This distinguished honor recognizes insightful and innovative publications on aging and life course development in the behavioral and social sciences. It is underwritten by the Baywood Publishing Company and named after social psychologist Richard Kalish, PhD. Any empirical or conceptual publication that represents state-of-the-art thinking in aging and life course development is eligible for the award, provided it is in English and was published in the last three years.
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.
The three were chosen to receive the Kalish Award for the article "Children of Misfortune: Early Adversity and Cumulative Inequality in Perceived Life Trajectories," which appeared in the American Journal of Sociology (Volume 116, Number 4, Pages 1053 to 1091). This paper makes important contributions to the aging and the life course knowledge base. It provides exposition for cumulative inequality theory, which analyzes the mechanisms by which inequality develops between persons over the life course. The article also demonstrates the utility of taking individuals' subjective perceptions of their pasts, presents, and anticipated futures into account in characterizing life course trajectories. The authors' work integrates life course principles with a very wide range of social and behavioral science literature, thus documenting the paper's relevance for audiences beyond gerontological scholars.
Schafer is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. His research interests lie mainly in the area of health and aging, with a focus on the risks of obesity and its consequences, adult health problems associated with childhood misfortune, subjective aspects of aging, and the influence of health on social networks among older adults. Ferraro is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and the director of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. His recent research focuses on health inequality over the life course, with projects examining minority health, obesity and health, and the long term consequences of early adversity on later life. He is a GSA fellow, which represents the Society's highest class of membership. Mustillo is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Purdue University. Her research focuses on the effects of parenting and family structure on the mental health of children and adolescents, as well as on the role of adversity in child health and mental health.
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.