Vet_Flag_176556018_300pUnder the mentorship of top-tier geriatric social work researchers, a new cohort of Hartford/VA Scholars will tackle such vital topics as physical activity among veterans, transitions from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing facilities back into the community, and post-traumatic stress disorder in older veterans.

The Hartford/VA Scholars Program is for PhD-level social workers doing research and clinical work at the VA—the largest employer of social workers in the country. The scholars receive a two-year award that provides career development and mentorship for projects that will improve health outcomes not only for older veterans, but for all older adults.

So please join me in welcoming our three new Scholars and recognizing their National Research Mentors:

  • Nikola R. Alenkin of the Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Mentor: Nancy Hooyman, PhD, professor and dean emeritus at the University of Washington School of Social Work and co-Principal Investigator of the National Center for Gerontological Social Work Education
  • Gina M. McCaskill of the Birmingham VA Medical Center. Mentor: Daniel Gardner, PhD, associate professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
  • Kelsey Simons of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. Mentor: Berit Ingersoll-Dayton, PhD, professor and director of the Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science at the University of Michigan School of Social Work

The mentors, drawn from the five Hartford Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work, offer comprehensive feedback and guidance to their post-doc scholars. The program also covers travel expenses and registration fees for the Gerontological Society of America’s Annual Scientific Meeting and professional development institutes.

Launched in 2009 as part of the former Faculty Scholars Program, the Hartford/VA Scholars Program is part of the John A. Hartford Foundation’s continuing partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Since 2012, the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) has partnered with the VA to prepare qualified masters-level social workers through a rotational internship in geriatrics at VA sites. Of our nation’s 21.2 million veterans, 9.6 million are 65 or older. (For more on our collaborations with the VA, read Partnering for Better Care for Our Older Veterans.)

The Hartford/VA Scholars Program is administered by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) under a three-year Hartford grant as a component of the Hartford National Center on Gerontological Social Work Excellence, which seeks to expand the translation of research within the field of geriatric social work to community-based practices in order to better the health and well-being of older people and their families.

We wish Drs. Alenkin, McCaskill, and Simons all the best as they bring their considerable skills to bear on issues important to our nation’s veterans and all older adults.