The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) -- the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging -- has chosen Giyeon Kim, PhD, of the University of Alabama as the 2017 recipient of the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology.
This distinguished honor, given annually, recognizes outstanding early career contributions in behavioral and social gerontology. Individuals who have received their doctorate within the last ten years are eligible. The award is given by GSA in conjunction with the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation.
The award presentation will take place at GSA's 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 18 to 22 in Boston, Massachusetts. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process.
Kim is an associate professor within the Alabama Research Institute on Aging and Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama. Effective this September, she will become an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. Her research focuses primarily on racial and ethnic disparities in mental health and mental health service use among older adults.
Kim's work has been supported by grants including a highly coveted National Institutes of Health Career Development Award (NIA K01) examining barriers and facilitators to mental health service use among racially/ethnically diverse older adults, and the role of geography in racial disparities in mental health service use among older adults. She has been involved in several projects relating to mental health disparities and has extensive experience with various racial and ethnic groups, including non-Hispanic Whites, African Americans, Latinos (Mexican Americans and Cuban Americans), Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Korean), and American Indians/Alaska Natives.
Kim also conducts research on measurement equivalence of mental health screening tools across diverse cultural groups. Her work on racial/ethnic disparities and measurement equivalence has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as The Gerontologist, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, and Journal of Psychiatric Research. She is an editor of Ethnicity and Health and an editorial board member of Journal of Aging and Health, Asian American Journal of Psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, and Innovation in Aging.
Kim also is a GSA fellow, which is the highest level of membership within the Society. In 2008, she received the Outstanding Student Research Award from GSA's Behavioral and Social Sciences Section for her doctoral dissertation.
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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 5,500+ 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.
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