SGS Annual Conference

The Southern Gerontological Society’s 46th Annual Meeting and Conference

Building Bridges: Collaborations and Communities in Aging

Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N
Birmingham, AL 35203

April 3 through April 6, 2025

The Southern Gerontological Society (SGS), established in 1979, is a network of the South's most respected gerontology professionals, representing 14 southern states and the District of Columbia. The mission of SGS is to provide the bridge between research and practice, translating and applying knowledge in the field of aging. The SGS Annual Meeting and Conference focuses on advances in gerontological research and applied practice, bringing together those engaged in the field of aging to attend and/or present their latest research, programs, interventions, and workshops. The conference will include keynote speakers, panel symposia, workshops, best practices discussions, and both paper and poster sessions. Anyone with an interest in aging is encouraged to attend.

This year, SGS is partnering with the University of Alabama Birmingham’s Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center. Their UAB Health Equity Research Symposium will be held on April 3, 2025. We invite all our attendees to take advantage of the opportunity to attend this event while traveling to Birmingham for our Annual Meeting & Conference. In addition, we encourage you to consider submitting your abstract to present at both events. To learn more, visit: https://www.uab.edu/medicine/mherc/news-events/research-symposium.

The SGS Annual Meeting & Conference will kick off in the late afternoon of April 3, 2025. This event will be held jointly with MHERC and will also be open to the community. The exact times and more details about this event are coming soon but you won’t want to miss it so please plan your travel accordingly. On April 4th, we will have our keynote presentations, poster session, and concurrent workshops. On April 5th, we will hold our Annual Business Meeting, continue with concurrent sessions, and provide time during the day for attendees to explore Birmingham. Our day will conclude with a celebration of our award winners during our evening Awards Dinner. On April 6th, we will continue with our concurrent sessions and end with an exciting closing session. For travel purposes, please note that April 6th will be a half day. Please plan on staying through 2:30 PM.

Call For Abstracts

Our Call for Abstracts will close at 11:59 PM Central Time on January 10, 2025. Please visit our Call for Abstracts page for more information on how to submit your abstract.

Sponsorship Opportunities

SGS is happy to provide a variety of annual sponsorship opportunities which include benefits at the Annual Meeting & Conference. Review our Sponsorship Opportunities.

Registration

Click Here for information on how to register for the Annual Meeting & Conference.

Location

All SGS Annual Meeting & Conference events will take place in the East wing of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. The complex is connected via skywalk to the Sheraton Birmingham which will provide hotel accommodations. The complex is also accessible via the public street. For those not staying at the conference hotel, there are several BJCC parking options available.
Learn more about BJCC parking here.

Hotel Rates & Transportation

To learn more about our hotel rates, transportation, and the Birmingham area, please visit our Lodging page.

An Invitation from the SGS President

The Southern Gerontological Society's 46th annual regional aging conference will be held in the historic city of Birmingham, Alabama. Our theme is “Building Bridges: Collaborations and Communities in Aging.” As President of the Southern Gerontological Society, I would like to extend an invitation for you to attend and contribute to our meeting being held on April 3-6, 2025.

Known for its welcoming and friendly atmosphere, Birmingham exemplifies Southern hospitality. Conference-goers can expect a warm reception from locals, great food, and a generally positive environment for both learning and networking.

Birmingham is a city with a significant history, especially in relation to the Civil Rights Movement. Visiting Birmingham for a conference gives you the chance to explore historical landmarks such as the Civil Rights Institute, 16th Street Baptist Church, and Kelly Ingram Park, offering valuable context and understanding of social justice and history.

The focus of our 46th Annual Meeting and Conference, “Building Bridges: Collaborations and Communities in Aging” starts by “bridging” with the University of Alabama Birmingham’s Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center’s longstanding UAB Health Equity Research Symposium. In place of providing pre-conference intensives, we invite you to register and attend this symposium on Thursday, April 3, 2025. We will have an exciting joint event that evening which will serve to “bridge” our two events as a “community collaboration” for clinicians and researchers.

Starting Friday, April 4, 2025; “Building Bridges: Collaborations and Communities in Aging” will open with topics that explore the different types of aging communities and the key themes surrounding them through podium and poster presentations.

Connecting communities with older adults is crucial for several reasons, as it fosters mutual benefit, strengthens societal bonds, and addresses critical challenges that both groups face. The conference presentations will address many of these challenges such as 1) combating loneliness and isolation; 2) intergenerational learning; 3) building stronger social relationships; 4) promoting health and well-being and 5) addressing ageism and misconceptions.

We are organizing the conference into five domains to drive session creation in ways that ensure that researchers, practitioners, clinicians, policy advocates, and older adult consumers create linkages in terms of networks, sharing ideas to forward the agenda of connecting communities and improving older adult quality of life. The DOMAINS are (1) Age-related Health and Wellness, (2) Diversity Topics in Aging Communities, (3) Caregiving, Care Support, and Care Partnerships, (4) Gerontological Education and Professional Development, and (5) Advocacy for or by Older Adults. We hope you will join us and share your important work at the Birmingham, AL 2025 meeting.

Sincerely,

Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, DNP, MSN, RN-BC
President, SGS (2024-2026)