CEO Blog

When Medicare was introduced more than 50 years ago, several major aspects of older adult health care were not included in the coverage provided — including vision health, oral health and hearing health.  In the case of eye health, the marketplace has provided older adults with access to widely available and affordable options. With oral health and hearing health, much remains to be done.

It’s exciting to see movement here in Washington to address the latter issue, with an important bill regarding the regulation of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids making its way through the legislative process in a bipartisan manner.

Read more: Science and Persistence — The Right Mix for Improving Access to Hearing Aids

On June 1 and 2, I represented GSA at the National Institutes of Health workshop titled “Inclusion Across the Lifespan.” This workshop, mandated by the December 2016 passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, focused on identifying and addressing barriers to inclusion of broader age groups in clinical trials.

The program placed special emphasis on children and older adults. Representatives from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and National Institute on Aging, as well as NIH more broadly, were actively engaged.

Read more: Older Adults Need Better Clinical Trial Representation; NIH Asks for Input

I recently met with Trevor Holmes, the vice president of external and strategic affairs at Dublin City University (DCU), to learn about the exciting work he is stewarding to encourage universities to become age friendly.

While most of us are more familiar with the movement toward age friendly cities and communities, this newer initiative brings age friendly concepts much closer to home for university-based GSA members.

Read more: Is Your University Age Friendly?

The March for Science on the National Mall was cold, wet, windy, and thoroughly exhilarating!

On Saturday, April 22 — Earth Day — I joined the tens of thousands of scientists from across the spectrum of disciplines gathered in Washington, DC, to celebrate the value of science and its critical role in both society and policy. Of course, I was marching for gerontology.

Read more: Proudly Marching for Gerontology

I’m pleased to share the results of the spring 2017 GSA elections. The Society is fortunate to have a group of talented members stepping into these leadership responsibilities. I am always impressed by how willing GSA members are to stand for election. These individuals are highly-accomplished, long-time members who are fully engaged in their professional responsibilities, as well as highly-motivated junior scholars involved with ESPO. All candidates know that, if elected, they will be called upon to devote many hours to advancing GSA. And all are willing to do so.

Read more: Congratulations to GSA’s Newest Officers

While international news has dominated the headlines this week, we all need to keep our attention focused on the proposed cuts to National Institues of Health funding included in the FY 2018 budget template released by the U.S. presidential administration. The new budget takes effect October 1. If the draconian 18 percent cut proposed for the NIH budget should survive the budget development process, the negative impact on science would be unprecedented and difficult to fully appreciate. In current dollar terms, the template calls for a $5.8 billion cut to NIH’s current $31.7 billion budget.

Read more: Science is the Driving Force That Improves Lives — Fully Fund It!