Visiting Scholar Program

GSA's Visiting Scholar Program is open to members able to make a full- or part-time commitment to conduct work on a GSA project related to their area of expertise. The program is ideally suited for faculty taking a sabbatical leave from his or her institution; the length of service is typically expected to be one or two semesters.

Goals

The Visiting Scholar Program is designed to provide members with the opportunity to:

• Advance GSA initiatives related to their professional interests
• Combine their research projects with GSA's programmatic needs
• View the aging research enterprise through the lens of the larger Society
• Broaden their professional network

Current Visiting Scholars

Robin A. Barr, DPhil

“I am looking forward very much to working closely with GSA members and its staff as I work on a project to integrate aging into the study of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.”

Prior to joining GSA, Barr was the director of the Division of Extramural Activities at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he retired in after 33 years. He focused on shaping NIH policies toward new and early stage investigators and managed NIA’s National Advisory Council on Aging. In 2014, Barr became the founding editor of the NIA blog for the extramural community (Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers).

He also served on multiple NIH committees focused on research training and early career researchers and helped develop the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) and the Early Stage Investigator designation. He worked with multiple foundations to bring the Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging program to NIA. This provides awards to aspiring leaders among early-stage health scientists who have a focus on aging and geriatrics. Barr continued to shepherd the program through multiple transitions at NIH.

In recent years, as NIA received a substantial infusion of funds for Alzheimer’s disease research, he led new approaches aimed at expanding the field rapidly, including guiding the creation of an administrative supplement program across NIH to stimulate research in this area.

Richard Browdie, MBA, FGSA

"My whole career has always been involved with designing programs and services to meet the needs of low income older people. I hope to work with GSA leaders to develop ways to increase the dialogue between program developers and system managers and researchers and policy analysts."

Browdie recently retired after 16 years as president/CEO of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Previously, he served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of aging and executive director of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Browdie’s work focuses on developing ways to increase the dialogue between program developers and system managers and researchers and policy analysts to improve services to older people.

Katie Maslow, MSW, FGSA

"I've been a member of GSA for many years, but being in the GSA office now, I'm amazed by the number and range of important projects the organization is conducting with and for its members to advance research, education, and practice in the field of aging."

Prior to joining GSA, Maslow was a scholar-in-residence at the Institute of Medicine, where she directed a series of meetings on care for people with advanced dementia and participated in studies of geriatric mental health and cognitive aging.

She previously worked for 15 years for the Alzheimer’s Association directing practice, research, and policy initiatives to improve the quality, coordination, and outcomes of health care and long-term services for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and their family caregivers. She additionally directed the association’s initiatives on hospital care and managed care for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias and co-directed its multi-site demonstration project, Chronic Care Networks for Alzheimer’s Disease.

From 1983 to 1995, Maslow was a policy analyst and senior associate at the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, a congressional research agency, where she worked on congressionally requested studies on aging, Alzheimer’s disease, long-term care, end-of-life care and care management.

Maslow is a previous recipient of the Society's prestigious Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging. Her work as a visiting scholar focuses primarily on improving care and services for people with cognitive impairment, dementia, and coexisting medical conditions, and supporting their family caregivers.

Patricia W. Slattum, PharmD, PhD

"I have been a member of GSA for more than 25 years since I was a postdoctoral trainee. I love the interdisciplinary nature of GSA and am looking forward to networking with scientists throughout the organization."

Slattum is professor emeritus of pharmacotherapy and outcomes science at Virginia Commonwealth University. The focus of her research and teaching is reducing medication-related problems among older persons with a particular interest in drug induced cognitive and functional impairment. In her role as a visiting acholar, Slattum will continue to explore her interest in medication outcomes in later life and how drug development and use can be improved to maximize benefits and minimize risks. She will also work with GSA members and staff to strengthen career development opportunities available through GSA for trainees and gerontologists throughout their career trajectory.

Join the Program

Members interested in becoming visiting scholars should contact Vice President of Professional Affairs Patricia D’Antonio at 202-587-5880.

Past Visiting Scholars

Ning Jackie Zhang, PhD, FGSA

“I feel the knowledge, skills, and networking I gained during this one year will benefit me. I strongly recommend this program to colleagues who are interested in seeking opportunities for career, leadership, and network development. Personally, I had opportunities to be involved with projects from all departments and programs of GSA, including conferences, journals, publications, aging policy, strategy, planning, and the China Initiative. The GSA leadership and all staff members are dedicated to fully support this program, which creates tremendous opportunities for the visiting scholar to engage in unique projects and program development.”

GSA's first visiting scholar was Ning Jackie Zhang, PhD, of the University of Central Florida. During the 2011 to 2012 academic year, he worked on GSA's China Initiative, which seeks to foster the development of collaborations between gerontologists in the U.S. and China.