The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Christiane A. Hoppmann, PhD, of the University of British Columbia as the 2012 recipient of the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation Award in Behavioral and Social Gerontology.
This distinguished honor, given annually, recognizes outstanding early career contributions in behavioral and social gerontology. Individuals who have received their doctorate within the last ten years are eligible. The award is given by GSA in conjunction with the Margret M. and Paul B. Baltes Foundation.
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.
Hoppmann currently is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where she also directs the Health and Adult Development Laboratory. Her research blends theoretical sophistication and cutting-edge methodology in the fields of lifespan human development and health psychology. Her ambitious research agenda involves understanding the proximal and distal mechanisms linking social interrelations to long-term developmental outcomes.
Since joining the faculty at the University of British Columbia, Hoppmann has authored 23 papers in top-tier journals and four book chapters, and has given numerous conference presentations. She has competed successfully for grant funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Australian Research Council. In addition, Hoppmann is a recipient of the Peter Wall Early Career Scholar Award, a prestigious honor given at her institution. In 2012, she earned the American Psychological Association's Division 20 Springer Early Career Achievement Award in Research on Adult Development and Aging.
She has conducted ground-breaking work that examined processes that predict optimal aging among participants of longitudinal studies such as the Berlin Aging Study, the Australian Study of Ageing, the Seattle Longitudinal Study, and the Health and Retirement Study. Her recent research on physical activity, based on the Health Action Process Approach Model, addresses the question of why some older adults adopt and maintain physical activity goals while others do not. The outcomes will be used to inform the health community about psychological underpinnings to engagement in physical activity for older adults.
Hoppmann received her doctorate from the Free University of Berlin, where she also worked as a student research assistant with Paul B. Baltes.
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.