Gerontological Society of America Announces Dr. Kathryn Hyer as President-Elect
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — is proud to announce GSA President-Elect is Kathryn Hyer, MPP, PhD, FGSA. Dr Hyer is a Professor and Director of the Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging in the School of Aging Studies, the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida. Dr. Hyer will be the 76th person to hold the office since GSA was founded in 1945. As president, she will oversee matters of GSA’s governance and strategic planning, while also managing the program and selecting the theme for GSA’s 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting which is also the 75th anniversary of GSA.
GSA’s membership, which consists of more than 5,500 researchers, educators, and practitioners elects officers annually. GSA mission 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 unit, the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education.
Dr. Hyer is the Principal Investigator on a $2.4 million Health Resources and Administration Services grant for Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program designed to increase USF’s medical residents’ and health professions students’ knowledge about older adults’ needs and community services. Her research focuses on ways to improve care of older adults and she has published widely on disaster preparedness and nursing homes, nursing home quality, hospice care, and state Medicaid policy. She has held national leadership roles for many organizations and been on numerous federal, state, and local Boards. For 15 years, she has worked with Florida’s State Department of Elder Affairs to review required dementia curriculum for nursing homes, assisted living, home health, hospice and adult day care providers. She serves on the Gold Seal Panel, Governor’s Panel on Excellence in Long-Term Care. After Hurricane Irma, Dr Hyer testified before the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, “Disaster Preparedness and Response: The Special Needs of Older Americans” and the Florida House of Representative’s Florida House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness.