ASI

ASI Faculty Associate Scott Landes Interviewed for PBS Newshour Story

Scott Landes was interviewed for the PBS Newshour story, Relative invisibility makes for uphill battle to get COVID vaccines for Americans with IDD.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities like Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism often have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19. Plus, many receive care in group living facilities, putting them at further risk. But despite the elevated risks for those with IDD, they face an uphill vaccination battle. William Brangham reports.

Watch the interview here.

ASI Faculty Associates contribute to aging studies handbook

Four professors and a doctoral student from the Maxwell School’s Department of Sociology and Department of Public Administration and International Affairs have contributed to the completely revised ninth edition of the “Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences” (Elsevier Academic Press). In three chapters, Maxwell scholars explore a range of issues related to aging and the life course, including: the link between education and adult health, the life-course consequences of women’s direct and indirect ties to the military, and how intergenerational family ties shape well-being over the life course. Read more.

Job Opportunities: Associate Professor/ Assistant Professor Positions in the Department of Economics & Human Development and Family Science

Associate Professor/Full Professor of Economics
Syracuse University’s Department of Economics seeks to fill a position in health economics at the Associate or Full Professor level. This position is part of an ambitious cluster hire initiative in the broad area of Aging, Health, and Neuroscience and the subarea of Population Health into which several positions are being filled from different disciplines. Faculty hired into these positions will build on our existing strengths in the focus area and will participate in an organized research cluster that spans multiple departments in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as well as the University. Further information on the campus-wide hiring initiative can be found at the Syracuse University Office of the Provost website.
Apply Here – https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/85523 

Assistant/Associate Professor – Human Development and Family Science (Tenure-Track/Tenured)
The Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University is seeking applicants for a tenure-track position in the field of gerontology with a specialization in aging and health. Preference will be given to candidates already serving as an assistant or associate professor who apply multidisciplinary approaches, such as bio-psychological or bio-social models, to the study of human development over the second half of life.

Successful candidates cover this issue within broader family, social/socioeconomic, community, and cultural contexts; and have the potential to achieve a strong record of publication and establish a program of funded research; and engage in high quality teaching.. Candidates whose research, teaching, or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education are particularly encouraged to apply.
Apply Here – https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/85457

ASI Faculty and Students Present their Work at the 2020 Gerontological Society of America Conference

ASI Faculty and Students Presented their work at the 2020 Gerontological Society of America Conference, that was held Nov 4-7. https://www.geron.org/ 

Schedule of synchronous sessions involving Syracuse University faculty and students:

Wednesday, November 4

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM EST
Veteran Status Matters! Life Course Perspectives on the Health and Well-Being of Aging Veterans: Presenter Discussion

Risk Aversion Among Male Older Adults: Does Veteran Status Matter?
Kent Jason G. Cheng, MA – Syracuse University, Scott Landes – Syracuse University, and Janet Wilmoth – Syracuse University

Diurnal Cortisol Profiles and Veteran Status
Jennifer R. Piazza – Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, Scott Landes – Syracuse University, and Natalia Dmitrieva – Northern Arizona University

Thursday, November 5

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST
ASI Booth: Video Chat
Janet Wilmoth – Syracuse University

12:45 – 1:15 PM EST
(2938-B) Isolation and Loneliness 2: Presenter Discussion
Family Solidarity, Social Support, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in Rural China
Xiaoyan Zhang – Syracuse University and Merril Silverstein – Syracuse University

1:45-2:15 PM EST
(2870) Transportation: Presenter Discussion
Visitation Access to U.S. Nursing Homes: An Analysis of Facility Locations, Ratings, and Disparities
Mary E. Helander – Syracuse University

1:45 – 2:15 PM EST
(2943-B) Family and Cross-Generational Relationships 2: Presenter Discussion
Grandparenting and the Receipt of Filial Piety From Adult Children in Chinese American Families
Jeung Hyun Kim – Syracuse University

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM EST
Rural Aging: Multidisciplinary, Multinational Innovations That Support New Approaches to Address Unmet Needs: Presenter Discussion
How Area Agencies on Aging Contribute to Social Connection for Older Adults in Rural America
Claire Pendergrast – Syracuse University

3:45 PM – 4:30 PM EST
Gerontology at the Intersection of Religion and Families: Honoring the Legacy of Vern Bengtson: Streaming Symposia
Tracing the Religious Life Course: Intergenerational Sources of Later Life Religiosity.
Merril Silverstein – Syracuse University, Woosang Hwang – Syracuse University, and Joseph Blankholm – University of California, Santa Barbara
This GSA streaming symposium is co-organized by Merril Silverstein. Additional papers will be presented by Andy Achenbaum, Ellen Idler, Linda George, and Robert Taylor.

Friday, November 6

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EST
ASI Booth: Video Chat
Karen Cimilluca – Syracuse University

12:45 PM – 1:15 PM EST
Intergenerational Caregiving and Relationships: Presenter Discussion
Multidimensional Profiles of Religiosity Among Grandparents, Parents, and Grandchildren
Joonsik Yoon – Syracuse University, Woosang Hwang – Syracuse University, Merril Silverstein – Syracuse University, and Maria Brown – Syracuse University

12:45 – 1:15 PM EST
(2945-A) Caregiving (BSS) 5: Presenter Discussion
Assessing the Impact of Older Americans Act–Funded Services on Caregiver Stress
Racheal Chubb – Syracuse University and Janet Wilmoth – Syracuse University

1:45 – 2:15 PM EST
(2943-C) Family and Cross-Generational Relationships 3: Presenter Discussion
Multidimensional Profiles of Religiosity: Do they Matter for Gen-Xer’s Psychological and Familial Well-Being?
Kent Jason G. Cheng – Syracuse University, Woosang Hwang – Syracuse University, Jeung Hyun Kim – Syracuse University, Merril Silverstein – Syracuse University, and Maria Brown – Syracuse University

3:45 PM – 4:15 PM EST
Caring for Older Parents: Presenter Discussion
Reciprocal Associations Between Normative, Affectual, and Associational Solidarity With Parents in Young Adults
Jeung Hyun Kim – Syracuse University, Woosang Hwang – Syracuse University, Kent Jason G. Cheng – Syracuse University, Maria Brown – Syracuse University, and Merril Silverstein – Syracuse University.

3:45 PM – 4:15 PM EST
Gender- and Sex-Centered Topics in Aging: Presenter Discussion
Can Women Have It All: Marriage, Family, Career, and Good Health?
Julene Cooney – Syracuse University

Saturday, November 7

12:45 PM – 1:15 PM EST
Mental Health and Older Adults: Presenter Discussion
Psychiatric History and Trajectories of Cognitive Change Predict Risk of Nursing Home Residence
Maria T. Brown – Syracuse University

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM EST
Mobility, Disability, and Functional Impairment: Presenter Discussion
The Mediating Role of Optimism on the Relationship of Activities of Daily Living and Well-Being Among Older Adults
Kent Jason G. Cheng – Syracuse University, Darcy McMaughan – Texas A&M University, and Matthew L. Smith – Texas A&M University

2:45 PM – 3:15 PM EST
Social Support and Psychological Well-Being: Presenter Discussion
Intergenerational Relationships, Social Support, and Psychological Well-Being Among Korean Older Adults
Yooumi Lee – Syracuse University and Janet Wilmoth – Syracuse University

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM EST
Policy Series: ESPO/ Social Research, Policy, and Practice Section Symposium: Connecting Aging Research to Policy: Insights and Strategies for Early-Career Researchers: Streaming Symposia
This session is co-chaired by Claire Pendergrast.

 

 

Montez-led study linking state policies to life expectancy in LA Times

Could where you live dictate how long you live? A new study led by Professor of Sociology Jennifer Karas Montez, published in the Milbank Quarterly, illustrates how state-level policies impact life expectancy, with residents of blue states living longer on average than their red state counterparts. “The difference between the highest and lowest life expectancy states has grown to 7.0 years—the largest ever recorded.”

Montez tells the Los Angeles Times, “When we look at what is happening with life expectancy, the tendency is to focus on individual explanations about what Americans are doing,” she said, noting obesity and smoking behaviors as well as drug use. “But state policies are so important.” She is quoted in the article People live longer in blue states than red; new study points to impact of state policies.

More coverage:

WAER: SU Maxwell Professor: State Policies Driving Gaps in Life Expectancy

Daily Democrat: Liberal policies, like California’s, keep blue-state residents living longer, study finds

Maxwell.syr.edu

NIA funds multi-university aging and policy center

A consortium of three upstate New York universities has received a 5-year, $1.5-million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to fund the Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS), headquartered at Syracuse University. The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health, issues such grants to support centers of innovative research on the demography and economics of aging.

“We are delighted to receive this NIA grant, as it recognizes CAPS as one of the leading research centers on the demography and economics of aging in the country,” says Jennifer Karas Montez, who serves as director of the Center and PI for the grant. Montez, a sociologist, is Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies in the Maxwell School and a faculty associate in Syracuse University’s Aging Studies Institute (ASI). “The cross-site consortium provides exciting opportunities for new collaborations that can improve the health and independence of older adults.”

The CAPS consortium includes Syracuse, Cornell University, and the University at Albany.  In addition to Montez, the CAPS cross-site leadership team includes, also at Syracuse, Janet Wilmoth, sociologist and director of ASI, and Douglas Wolf, demographer and Gerald B. Cramer Professor of Aging Studies. The leadership team is completed by Kelly Musick, demographer and chair of Policy Analysis and Management in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, and Benjamin Shaw, associate dean for research at the School of Public Health at UAlbany.

The overarching goal of CAPS is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults by addressing issues facing middle-age and older adults and the families that care for them. In its first year, the center will bring together 39 scholars from across the three sites whose research focuses on the demography and economics of aging, organized by the themes of (A) health and well-being and (B) family and intergenerational supports. It will fund innovative pilot projects and will offer a colloquia series, visiting scholars program, grant mentoring program, state-of-the-art methods training, and a research incubator to foster collaborations among CAPS affiliates.

This is the third time that CAPS has received funding from the NIA. Previous grants were awarded in 1994-99 and 2009-14 when CAPS was single institution center at Syracuse. For more information, please go to asi.syr.edu/caps/

COVID-19: See what ASI Faculty/Affiliates are saying about the Pandemic

Scott Landes talks to NPR and Spectrum News about COVID-19, people with disabilities

Scott Landes, says COVID-19 death rates are higher among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) compared to those without. He says it’s mainly individuals with pre-existing health conditions. “This population, in general, either because of swallowing problems or disorders, or choking disorders, or just more susceptibility to lung infections seems to develop pneumonia at a higher rate than those in the general population,” he says. “That’s just really detrimental when you’re talking about something like COVID-19.” Landes was interviewed for the Spectrum News segment “COVID-19 Death Rates Higher Among Those with Developmental Disabilities.”

NPR Interview: COVID-19 Infections And Deaths Are Higher Among Those With Intellectual Disabilities

Today Show: https://www.today.com/video/how-families-caring-for-children-with-special-needs-are-coping-during-the-pandemic-85224517928

Madonna Harrington Meyer was quoted in two articles that have received wide media pick up

Madonna Harrington Meyer was quoted in two articles that nearly 70 media outlets picked up. The NPR article, “Too little or too much time with the kids? Grandparenting is tough in a Pandemic.” and The Kaiser Health News article, “We miss them all so much: Grandparents ache as the COVID exile grinds on.”

 

Madonna Harrington Meyer quoted in New York Times article, “For Grandparents, Filling in for Childcare can be ‘Wonderful and Exhausting’

As the coronavirus pandemic stretches on and child care centers remain closed, many grandparents are split into two groups: those who are quarantined from their families and those who are isolating beside them, according to Madonna Harrington Meyer, a sociology professor at Syracuse University and author of “Grandmothers at Work.” Those providing child care can see tremendous benefits — more physical activity, a healthy emotional life, more socializing — but the additional stressors can also lead to burnout. “It’s simultaneously wonderful and too much,” Meyer said.

Read full article here.

Social Gerontologist Maria Brown Shares Advice on Caring for Aging Parents During an Pandemic

As people all over the world deal with the coronavirus pandemic, many wonder how to care for aging parents. Adults aged 60 or older, especially those with severe chronic medical conditions, are at higher risk for more serious coronavirus illness and death.

Maria Brown, an assistant research professor at the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and faculty associate in the University’s Aging Studies Institute, offers advice on how to help care for aging parents or family members. To read full article click here.

Brown was also interviewed for an article on NerdWallet.com, “Do These 4 Things for Your Parents During Coronavirus Outbreak.”

Shannon Monnat and the Lerner Center produced a series of Lerner Center Population Health Research Briefs on COVID-19

Shannon Monnat, and the Lerner Center staff and graduate students, have produced an excellent series of Lerner Center Population Health Research Briefs on COVID-19, several of which focus on the older population. Contributing authors include Shannon Monnat, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Scott Landes, Dalton Stevens, Kent Cheng, and Yue Sun.

Check them out at: https://lernercenter.syr.edu/category/pop-health-research-briefs/ 

 

College of Law, Associate Professor Doron Dorfman wrote an Op Ed on COVID-19 impact on FDA Policy for Gay blood donors

Optimism among public health scholars is rare in the era of coronavirus. Yet I suggest that the crisis might present an opportunity to overrule one controversial health law policy that predates the pandemic: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men.

The blood ban was developed out of necessity in response to the 1980s HIV-AIDS outbreak and has since undergone some amendments. The recent iteration of the ban forbids blood banks from accepting donations from men who have had sex with men, or MSM, in the year prior to the donation. To read full article click here. The article was also accepted to the peer review Journal of Law and the Biosciences.

Syracuse University is currently doing a research project and they need your help!

The project is examining mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, while we’re all dealing with the closures, restrictions, social distancing and being isolated in our homes. Researchers are using an online questionnaire to learn about depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD, working to find out what conditions and behaviors might influence mental health. One of the main behaviors that researchers are interested in is physical activity and aspects related to it. To read full article click here.

CNY Central Article: SU Faculty conduct survey to find affects of COVID-19 on mental illness

To paricipate in the anonymous survey, click here.