The award presentation will take place at GSA's 56th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 21st-25th, 2003 in San Diego, California. The meeting is organized to foster interdisciplinary interactions among gerontological health care clinical, administrative, and research professionals.
Kapp's curriculum vitae spans 90 pages and represents the multidisciplinary nature of his work. He is a GSA fellow and currently serves as the Vice President of the society's Social Research, Policy and Practice section. He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University, The George Washington University School of Law, and the Harvard University School of Public Health. He has contributed creatively and credibly in the fields of both gerontology and legal scholarship.
Kapp's work has focused on often-ignored topics where long-term care practices intersect with law and ethics. These areas include guardianship and conservatorship for persons with impaired decision making, physical restraints in nursing homes, legal liability among long-term care providers, and negotiated risk agreements as a possible vehicle for consumer autonomy in long-term care.
Since August 1980, Kapp has been a faculty member in the School of Medicine at Wright State University, where he teaches courses on the legal and ethical aspects of health care. He has served as a consultant to the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Federal Administration on Aging, the American Hospital Association, the Institute of Medicine, and the Retirement Research Foundation. Kapp has also testified before the U.S. Senate Aging Committee.
The Kent award was created in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings into practical use. The winner traditionally presents a lecture at the Annual Scientific Meeting the following year. The Kent Award Lecture is expected to be one of the conference's highlights.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1945, is the oldest and largest national multidisciplinary scientific organization devoted to the advancement of gerontological research. Its membership includes some 5,000+ researchers, educators, practitioners, and other professionals in the field of aging. The Society's principal missions are to promote research and education in aging and to encourage the dissemination of research results to other scientists, decision makers, and practitioners.
Information about the Gerontological Society of America, its awards, and its 56th Annual Scientific Meeting can be found online at http://www.geron.org.