November 3, 2015
UW social work professor named among nation’s top 50 Influencers in Aging
University of Washington social work professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen is among 50 people nationwide named on the first Next Avenue Influencers in Aging list.
Compiled by Next Avenue, a public media website aimed at older Americans, the list recognizes people “who are changing how we age and think about aging in America.” Fredriksen-Goldsen, director of the UW-based Healthy Generations Hartford Center of Excellence, is “shedding new light on the needs of LGBT elders,” Next Avenue noted in a release.
Fredriksen-Goldsen’s research focuses on aging and health across diverse and disadvantaged communities. As principal investigator of the National Health, Aging and Sexuality Study: Aging with Pride, she is leading the first longitudinal research project focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ older adults across the United States. In October, Fredriksen-Goldsen and her UW School of Social Work colleagues released a study which found that older LGBTQ adults in Seattle and King County face higher risks of physical and mental health problems.
A fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Fredriksen-Goldsen has received numerous awards for advancing aging and health services, education and research. In 2014, she was given the UW Award of Excellence for Distinguished Teaching.
The Next Avenue 2015 Influencers in Aging list also includes Harvard Medical School professor and author Atul Gawande, cartoonist Roz Chast, NPR correspondent Ina Jaffe and musician Glen Campbell, among others. The full list is online.
