UMASS BOSTON GERONTOLOGY

The Gerontology 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 health.

Professor Jeffrey Burr with two of our newest gerontology PhD alumni, Shu Xu (left) and Anyah Prasad (center) at the UMass Boston graduate commencement, May 2024

Our alumni

Graduates of UMass Boston's gerontology programs are found across the United States and around the globe, including in Canada, China, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Thailand. They work at universities as educators, researchers and administrators; in health care settings; for local, state, and federal government agencies; as well as for nonprofit and private sector organizations that address aging issues. Together, their work is advancing the field of aging.

Our doctoral program now counts 113 alumni with the hooding of five graduates in May 2024. The range of organizations where these newly minted PhDs serve as researchers and analysts illustrates the breadth of opportunities available to our graduates:

Elizabeth Gallagher, project manager for Strategy and Policy, Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs
Anyah Prasad, postdoctoral fellow, LBGTQ+ Policy Lab, Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University
Natalie Shellito, associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Shu Xu, postdoctoral fellow, Demography of Aging, Disability and Care Program, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan
Ning Xie, health science specialist, National Artificial Intelligence Institute, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs