About UMass Boston Gerontology
DEPARTMENT OF GERONTOLOGY
The Department of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston features globally renowned academic programs in the study of aging. As the second oldest doctoral program in the world, we have produced more gerontology PhDs than any other institution—108, as of spring 2023.
Advanced work in gerontology is interdisciplinary, bridging theories, concepts, and research methods drawn from the social and behavioral sciences. Our doctoral program prepares students for leadership roles as educators, researchers, planners, and policy makers. Our department also offers a Management of Aging Services master's degree and a gerontology graduate certificate along with an undergraduate major, minor, and certificate program in Aging Studies.
GERONTOLOGY
INSTITUTE
The Gerontology Institute was established in 1984 by the Massachusetts legislature and then-Governor Michael Dukakis. The Institute serves as the research, policy, and public service component of the gerontology program at UMass Boston. Our research concentrations include age-friendly communities, aging equity and disparity, financial security, long-term supports and services, and social determinants of health.
Four centers located within the Institute offer targeted expertise, applied research, and community engagement: Pension Action Center; Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging; and LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.
Our team
Faculty
Associate Professor
​
Senior Lecturer; Graduate Program Director, Management of Aging Services
​
Professor; Graduate Program Director, Gerontology PhD & Research/Policy Master's
​
Professor; Editor-in-Chief, Research on Aging
​
Clinical Professor
Co-Director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston
​
​
Professor; Chair, Department of Gerontology;
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Aging & Social Policy
​
Director, Gerontology Institute
​
Sung Park
Assistant Professor
Frank Porell
Professor Emeritus
​
Kristen Porter
Adjunct Assistant Professor
​
Emma Quach
Adjunct Assistant Professor
​
Lien Quach
Adjunct Assistant Professor
​
​
​
Assistant Professor; Undergraduate Program Director
​
Staff
Sarah Barry
Office Manager
Chris Brindley
Computer Information Specialist
​
​
Tyler Compton
Managing Attorney, Pension Action Center
Director, Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging
​
Drew Glazier
Office Manager, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
​
Martin Hansen-Verma
Program Manager
James Hermelbracht
Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
​
Taylor Jansen, PhD '23
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Emily Kennerley
Development and Outreach Coordinator, Pension Action Center
​
Annie McCluskey
Director of Finance, Grants, and Operations
​
Genevieve Peterson
Program Coordinator, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
​
Changmin Peng
Managing Editor, Research on Aging
​
Charles Ruberto
Program Coordinator
​
Elizabeth Simpson
Managing Editor, Journal of Aging and Social Policy
​
Josephine Sturgis
Research, Administration, and Finance
​
Anna-Marie Tabor
Consultant, Pension Action Center
​
Jane Tavares, PhD '18
Senior Research Fellow
Lisa Watts
Director of Communications
​
Claire Wickersham, PhD '22
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
​