During the two years, the Faculty Scholars will participate in institutes and workshops to further enhance their research, teaching and leadership skills, and will conduct a research project focused on improving geriatric health care outcomes. Each Scholar will be paired with a National Research Mentor and a school-based sponsor who will support the Scholar's professional leadership and research career development.

The program is administered by The Gerontological Society of America and directed by Dr. Barbara Berkman, Helen Rehr/Ruth Fizdale Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work.

It is estimated that there are over 600,000 practicing social workers in the United States. While most social workers report that geriatric knowledge is needed in their professional work, less than 5% of all masters level students in social work, and approximately 7% of doctoral level students specialize in aging. The Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program is a $5.4 million dollar project to ensure that the country will have the necessary pool of trained and skilled geriatric social workers by creating faculty leaders specialized in geriatric research and teaching.

The Faculty Scholars Program is a major step toward increasing the visibility and desirability of geriatric social work so as to increase faculty commitment to training social workers to meet the growing and specialized needs of an aging population.

The ten individuals selected for the prestigious Hartford Faculty Scholars Program in Geriatric Social Work:

Amy Ai, PhD University of Washington Research Topic: The Long-Term Effects of Spirituality and Positive Attitudes on the Health and Adjustment of Older Adults Following Cardiac Su
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Contact: Linda Krogh Harootyan
harootya@geron.org
202-842-1275
The Gerontological Society of America
9-May-2002