NIA Training in Social Research on Applied Issues in Aging
The Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science has been the recipient of grants from the National Institute on Aging since 1985 to provide training in applied issues in aging research to predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows. The overall objective of these grants has been to develop researchers who will contribute to the theoretical and empirical knowledge base for determining policies and programs that can enhance the well-being of aging individuals and the elderly. The current grant is funded through May 2011 with the capacity to support predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows annually. The grant is directed by Professors Ruth Dunkle and Berit Ingersoll-Dayton.
A major goal of the current training grant is to expose fellows to the substantive, theoretical, and methodological issues involved in exploring the determinants of successful aging.
The program emphasizes research methods for studying aging and the aged in applied settings; examination of the determinants of successful aging including physical, psychological, social, religious, and spiritual aspects; socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity; and a multidisciplinary focus.
The training program includes a weekly seminar in which fellows interact on an ongoing basis around substantive issues and receive and provide feedback on the development and publication of research; other courses at the University of Michigan relevant to each fellow's training goals, including ones in the School of Social Work, the social sciences, and the Institute for Social Research's summer programs in survey research methods and quantitative methods; and working with faculty mentors on research projects.