2023
2023 SGS Annual Meeting & Conference
The Southern Gerontological Society’s 44th Annual Meeting and Conference
Advancing Effective Solutions: The Interplay of Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
HILTON
Norfolk the Main
Norfolk, VA
April 11 through April 15, 2023
From The SGS President
The Southern Gerontological Society's 44th annual regional aging conference will be held at the beautiful Norfolk The Main in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Hilton at The Main sits along the waterfront and is a close walk to cultural attractions, shopping, and dining. Our theme is Advancing Effective Solutions: The Interplay of Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities.
As president of the Southern Gerontological Society, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend and contribute to our meeting being held on April 11-15, 2023.
This beautiful setting offers all sorts of history, fun, and family-friendly activities. We encourage you to bring your family members and extend your stay before or after the conference to get the most out of the location. Downtown Norfolk offers cruises and boat rides, museums and public art, and independent, chef-inspired restaurants. It is an easily walkable city with trails and a light rail. The Selden Market is a one-of-a-kind experience with a rotating lineup of inspired shops.
The focus of our 44th Annual Meeting and Conference, the Interplay of Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities, takes a life-course perspective approach to address a vast range of factors that influence health disparities. While genetics and timely and quality health care play a part in health outcomes, social, environmental, and behavioral factors play a larger role in determining health outcomes. The vision statement for Healthy People 2030 is one in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the lifespan. Overarching goals include eliminating health disparities and attaining health literacy, two lofty goals directly impacted by the distribution of wealth, power, and resources. There is a history of social exclusion in the U.S. where marginalized groups experience differential health outcomes and access to health.
This year, we are focusing on interventions targeting priority populations for health disparities research that can lead to practice change, improve population health, and lead to better health equity. Solid social networks are protective for health; they provide a system of concrete resources that are helpful for health care utilization. By addressing the fundamental “causes of the causes” of good and ill health, the Social Determinants of Health approach has the potential to remove some of the fundamental barriers that impact health and address some of the most intractable health issues that are closely associated with dimensions of inequity.
Similar to previous years, we are organizing the conference into six domains. We organized themes to drive session creation in ways that ensure that researchers, practitioners, policy advocates, and older adult consumers create linkages in terms of networks, sharing ideas to forward the agenda of reducing inequalities and improving older adult quality of life. The DOMAINS are (1) Age-related Health and Wellness, (2) Environment & Location: The Power of Place, (3) Diversity Topics in Aging Communities, (4) Caregiving, Care Support, and Care Partnerships, (5) Gerontological Education and Professional Development, and (6) Advocacy for or by Older Adults.
We hope you will join us and share your important work at the Norfolk 2023 meeting. We welcome everyone who wants to network with and learn from others in the aging field who are facing similar issues, and who want to serve a diverse population of older adults.
Sincerely,
Bert Waters, Ph.D., FSGS
President, SGS (2022-2024)
Top Reasons To Attend in 2023
NETWORKING: An opportunity to interact with professionals from all fields of aging.
PROGRAMMING: Attendees select from numerous continuing education and professional development presentations, networking opportunities, and other activities.
VALUE: Each full conference day includes a minimum of two meals, plus snacks, making the conference affordable to attend.
VENUE: Hilton Norfolk The Main is Downtown Norfolk’s newest upscale hotel, dining, and meeting destination. Walk to cultural attractions, trendy shopping and dining by the Elizabeth River.
LOCATION: Norfolk is a city on the water, but never watered down. Built on character, by characters, Norfolk is a melting pot of people, cultures, and ideas.
2023 SGS Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology
VCU’s Department of Gerontology in the College of Health Professions was founded in 1976 and remains the only MS in Gerontology in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our mission to promote optimal aging for individuals and communities is evident through our innovative graduate and continuing education, scholarship, and university-community partnerships. Our graduates further our person-centered, transdisciplinary mission all over the country and globe. The Department of Gerontology is well-known for the quality and innovation of its programs and for the scholarship and applied expertise of its faculty. The Department of Gerontology offers a variety of degree programs based on an interdisciplinary approach using the bio-psycho-social model. With a mission of promoting optimal aging for individuals and communities, Gerontology graduates further the person-centered mission of the department largely in the areas of administration, education, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. The Gerontology Department envisions continued commitment to service, scholarship, and education, with a focus on the DisruptAgeism and Elderhood Development paradigms.
The VCU Department of Gerontology remains the only NAB accredited program for Assisted Living Administration both in Virginia and nationally! VCU's master's of gerontology program is fully accredited by the Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council (AGEC).
Platinum Sponsor
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Our Mission: To improve the employment, quality of life, security, and independence of older Virginians, Virginians with disabilities, and their families.
The Division for Community Living administers programs that support older or vulnerable adults and individuals with significant disabilities to maximize their independence, employment and inclusion into society.
Our Aging Programs serve older Virginians. DARS is committed to having livable communities for those who want to age in place or transition from facilities to community settings with long-term supports and services.
Gold Sponsor
Georgia State University Gerontology Institute
The Gerontology Institute builds on more than 40 years of gerontology education. It is among the oldest and most accomplished gerontology programs in the Southeast. Gerontology students receive individual attention and mentorship, but also have all the benefits of being at a large, urban university. In downtown Atlanta, Georgia State is in proximity to numerous programs, services and organizations that provide students with first-hand experiences in the field of aging.
The Gerontology Institute offers a Master of Arts degree and a certificate in Gerontology for students who wish to prepare for careers in the field of aging. The Gerontology Institute offers several programs at the undergraduate level: Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.), a certificate in gerontology and a dual-degree program – bachelor’s in sociology/master’s in gerontology.
Silver Plus Living with Dementia Sponsor
The Martha W. Goodson Center
(formerly Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health)
The Martha W. Goodson Center, known formally as the Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health, continues its nonprofit work to fulfill its mission to improve the quality of life for older adults by integrating academic, clinical and health services research with the capabilities of local service providers to develop and implement innovative community-based and healthcare system initiatives that can be replicated and sustained by Riverside Health System.
The Martha W. Goodson Center places special focus on applied research for operationally sustainable programming to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community, a critical element of population health management. The Center’s vision is to lead the development of model communities that will promote the well-being and independence of older adults through translational research and widespread application. The Center continues to focus on identifying areas of need within the populations they serve, developing pilot programs and working with the health system and community partners to implement the pilots on a broad scale. The Center’s ability to bring community partners together with the common goal of improving healthcare for older adults is critical as the baby-boom age wave continues to grow and accompanying public policy is put in place to improve the nation's approach to healthcare.
Silver Sponsor
University of Virginia, School of Nursing
Nursing. Elevated.
Seven master's specialty programs and two award-winning doctoral programs. Applauded CNL, BSN, and RN to BSN programs. Consistently ranked among the nation's best. Our 800-member student body - half undergraduate and half graduate students - hail from every background and arrive with endlessly interesting and compelling backstories. Two-thirds are from Virginia, one in five identifies as male, and roughly one-third come from minority and underrepresented backgrounds. About one in five is a first-generation college-attendee. All came to UVA, Virginia's only program to be ranked in the nation's top 3%.
Silver Sponsor
Studebaker Investments
STEVEN STUDEBAKER, CPA, Advises Individuals, Businesses, and Not-for-Profit entities on strategic and financial decisions. Fully licensed as both Broker and Registered Investment Advisor with SEC, Steven is a Member of the Personal Finance, Tax, and Not-for-Profit Sections of the American Institute of CPAs.
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Silver Sponsor
UMBC Erickson School of Aging Services
ESAS combines a passion for creating leaders and scholars in aging with a genuine connection to real world applications. The unique strength of our community is that it brings together so many exceptionally talented people of different backgrounds, lived experiences, interests, approaches and methodologies. Our goal, since our founding in 2005, is to integrate aging issues, business management and public policy. Our business orientation – applicable to nonprofit, for profit and government sectors encourages leadership and entrepreneurial behavior.
We created and continue to refine a distinctive interdisciplinary and integrated educational approach combining the critical elements of aging studies, management, and public policy. This unique model includes an active learning environment based in practice in addition to theory. Collaborators with ESAS have the opportunity to extend their interdisciplinary efforts further through partnerships with other units within UMBC including the Hilltop Institute, School of Public Policy and the PhD in Gerontology. Our curriculum includes all aspects of aging services, with particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for individuals in the longevity economy. Students, both full and part-time, can earn a B.A., M.A. and Accelerated B.A. /M.A. and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Management of Aging Services.
Silver Sponsor
Appalachian State - Master of Health Administration and Aging, Health and Society Graduate Certificate
Aging, Health and Society Graduate Certificate
The Aging, Health, and Society Graduate Certificate in the Department of Sociology at Appalachian State prepares students for careers requiring knowledge and skills in areas relating to aging populations and their health, as well as training towards pursuing advanced degrees. Emphasis is placed on knowledge about sociological and related processes of normal aging; social factors that influence health outcomes; theory, research, and professional career preparation; and public policies pertaining to older populations and the delivery of health care. The program also is approved by the North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation to offer the Administrator-in-Training Program. The 12 credit hour (4 course) program is fully-online and asynchronous, and can be completed within one academic year or alongside another graduate degree program at the university.
Master of Health Administration
AppState’s Masters of Health Administration program in the Beaver College of Health Sciences was founded in 2016. Our mission is to prepare early and mid-careerist in advanced health care management principles, concepts, and applications in a online environment. Our graduates are prepared to advance their management career in a variety of health care organizations, including, but not limited to, hospitals, long-term care, urgent care, research facilities, mental health, bio-tech organizations, and medical health equipment companies. The MHA program at AppState is well-known for embodying Appalachian’s mission by preparing students to lead purposeful lives as engaged health care executives who are eager to acquire and create knowledge, promote a spirit of inclusion, communicate effectively, and think critically. The online MHA program connects busy professionals with the knowledge and skills to lead health care organizations, without having to relocate. In addition to a strong core curriculum in general health administration, students have two possible areas of focus: health care leadership and health informatics, as well as the option to pursue an MHA/MBA dual degree.
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