News Release

America's top reporters on aging earn journalism fellowships

Grant and Award Announcement

The Gerontological Society of America

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 18 distinguished reporters for the next cohort of the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, now in its eighth year. They represent a wide range of general audience, ethnic, and community media outlets, including several public radio affiliates, daily newspapers, and national publications.

The new fellows were chosen based on their proposals for an in-depth aging-focused story or series. These projects, to be published in late 2017, span such concerns as disparities in hospice access, mental health treatment issues for African Americans, and isolation of older adults in rural settings.

The participating journalists will convene during the World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics -- which GSA will host from July 23 to 27 in San Francisco, California -- and utilize the more than 650 presentation sessions and 6,000 expert attendees to inform their reporting.

"Our program will allow some of the country's best journalists to interact with the largest group of authorities on aging ever assembled," said Karen Tracy, GSA's Senior Director of Strategic Alliances and Communications. "We are proud to facilitate this important connection, which will bring first-rate coverage to audiences everywhere."

The fellows program is supported by funding from AARP, The Silver Century Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, The Retirement Research Foundation, and The John A. Hartford Foundation.

"The World Congress should give our journalism fellows ample opportunities to report on how global aging is impacting local communities throughout America," said NAM Executive Director Sandy Close. "This year's applicants were among the most thoughtful and original we've received. I wanted to accept them all and hope those not chosen this time will reapply in the future."

In San Francisco, the fellows also will report on new developments in aging and participate in a day-long workshop, where experts will discuss the latest research and provide insight on key issues facing Americans as they age. Continuing fellowship grants also are being provided to allow 11 previous fellows to participate in the meeting. A continuously updated list of stories generated by the program's 118 alumni is available at http://www.geron.org/journalistfellows.

The program is co-directed by Todd Kluss, MA, GSA's senior manager of communications, and Paul Kleyman, senior editor of NAM's ethnic elders newsbeat. Kleyman also is the founder and national coordinator of the Journalists Network on Generations, which includes more than 1,000 writers on aging.

The new fellows:

Arthur Allen (Politico)
Project: Reducing unnecessary and inappropriate prescriptions and procedures for older patients.

David T. Baker (The Louisiana Weekly)
Project: The rising cost of senior living.

Beth Baker (Next Avenue)
Project: Intergenerational model programs engaging children and seniors.

Jeneé Darden (KQED-FM)
Project: Culturally-competent mental health treatment for older African Americans.

Jeanne Erdmann (The Washington Post)
Project: Medical, geographic, and financial disparities to hospice access.

Jacqueline Garcia (La Opinión)
Project: Issues for aging undocumented jornaleros (day-labor workers).

Kelli B. Grant (CNBC)
Project: The intersections between longevity and financial planning.

Gretchen Grosky (The Union Leader)
Project: Isolation of rural seniors in a state that promoted retirement there, but offers limited senior services.

Susan Jaffe (Kaiser Health News)
Project: How Medicare anti-fraud rules create problems for patients and their families.

Julia Kassem (Arab American News)
Project: Poor transportation issues resulting in isolation of Arab American elders.

Debra Krol (Indian Country Today Media Network)
Project: Eldercare challenges for tribes and families.

Zhihong "Cecilia" Li (Sing Tao Daily)
Project: Housing challenges for Chinese older adults, especially immigrants.

JoAnn Mar (KALW-FM)
Project: Insights from physicians and patients on the challenges of providing universal comfort care at the end of life.

D. Kevin McNeir (The Washington Informer)
Project: Aging baby boomers working 9 to 5, many after 65.

Roshan Nebhrajani (The New Tropic)
Project: Profiles of five seniors showing changing demographics around Miami.

Kent Paterson (NMPolitics.net)
Project: Growing relocation/retirement of citizens of the U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

Stephanie Sanchez (KAWC-FM)
Project: Aging farm workers in Yuma County.

Tibisay Zea (El Planeta Media)
Project: Undocumented Latino elders in New England.

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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 5,500+ 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.

New America Media (NAM) is the country's first and largest national collaboration and advocate for over 3,000 ethnic news organizations. Nearly 60 million ethnic adults connect to each other, to home countries, and to America through ethnic media, the fastest growing sector of American journalism. Founded by the nonprofit Pacific News Service in 1996, NAM is headquartered in California with editors in New York and Washington, DC.


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