The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) have chosen Bruce L. Miller, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) as the 2012 recipient of the Gene D. Cohen Research Award in Creativity and Aging.
This award recognizes and honors the seminal work of Gene Cohen, MD, whose research in the field of creativity and aging shifted the conceptual focus from a problem paradigm to one of promise and potential. Cohen inspired individuals to approach longevity asking what wonders can be achieved, not in spite of age, but because of age. The award is presented annually to a professional whose research in the field of creativity and aging demonstrates these positive attributes.
The award presentation will take place at GSA's 65th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 14 to 18 in San Diego. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.
Miller is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCSF, where he also holds the A.W. & Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Chair and serves as the director of the Memory and Aging Center. He is a behavioral neurologist with a special interest in brain and behavior relationships, and has focused his work in the area of dementia. He actively is involved in patient care at the UCSF clinics and hospital, and teaches extensively in the medical school.
He also is the principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and directs a program project on frontotemporal dementia (FTD). His work with FTD has emphasized both the behavioral and emotional deficits that characterize these patients, while simultaneously noting the visual creativity that can emerge in the setting of FTD.
Miller is author of the books "The Human Frontal Lobes" and "The Behavioral Neurology of Dementia," and has extensive publications regarding dementia diagnosis and treatment. He has been featured on programs such as "The PBS NewsHour" and "Charlie Rose." For nearly three decades, Miller has been the scientific director for the philanthropic organization The John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation, a private philanthropic organization that funds basic science research in Alzheimer's disease. He also runs the Behavioral Neurology Fellowship at UCSF.
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.
The National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA) was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to fostering an understanding of the vital relationship between creative expression and healthy aging and to developing programs that build on this understanding. Based in Washington, DC, NCCA is a nonprofit with 2,500 members and is affiliated with The George Washington University.