By Molly Wylie
How 5 days in San Diego reinforced the importance of applied research for one UMass Boston student.
As a Ph.D. student, it’s easy to put on academic blinders.
To be productive researchers, we’re encouraged to publish in reputable journals, submit abstracts to conferences, apply for summer internships, and network with colleagues. In the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston, we prioritize these academic demands but also wish to engage in research that translates into policy and practice.
My experience working with the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and attending the 2019 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO reinforced my belief that a primary responsibility of basic gerontological research is to inform aging services and products in real time. Researchers, too, have a lot to learn from administrators in the field.
GETTING INVOLVED IN LTSS CENTER PROJECTS
Before starting graduate school, I worked as a home care case manager at an Aging Services Access Point in the western suburbs of Boston. My dedication to consumer-facing work and to improving the home care experience for vulnerable older adults led me to pursue evaluative projects within the LTSS Center.
I have helped LTSS Center researchers design and disseminate resident satisfaction surveys for B’nai B’rith Housing and the Cambridge Housing Authority aimed at improving services in affordable housing settings. This past summer, I joined several classmates in making more than 1,000 phone calls to encourage LeadingAge members to participate in the LeadingAge Member Survey.
This work helped me feel part of an ambitious, far-reaching research “family” in the LTSS Center. So, when I was encouraged to apply for a chance to participate in the LeadingAge Annual Meeting student program, I jumped at the chance. I was graciously awarded the full student scholarship for an Annual Meeting experience specifically tailored for undergraduate and graduate students.
SMALL FISH IN A BIG POND
Arriving at the Annual Meeting as a student was both stimulating and humbling. At the welcome reception, an intergenerational acapella group serenaded about 10,000 of us with Beatles hits. Author and researcher Marcus Buckingham gave a captivating lecture on the importance of leaning into your personal strengths. A conversational workshop session prompted us to reflect on our personal and professional role models.
The EXPO hall was filled with thousands of innovations, from dining robots that enable independent eating, to voice-first technology systems that coordinate care between residents and nursing staff, to accessible bathtubs. I attended educational sessions on topics ranging from the sustainability of Continuing Care at Home communities to the evaluation of an international nurse recruitment program in the Philippines.
Largely, however, being a Ph.D. student at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting meant being a small academic fish in a big administrative pond. Most students were pursuing degrees in health care administration, had clear objectives to start or lead a nonprofit senior living community, and were gaining tangible leadership skills from directors in the field. I connected with 3 fellow Ph.D. students who similarly grappled with an important question: What paths can researchers pave in the world of aging services?
THE ROLE OF APPLIED RESEARCH
While the conference challenged my identity as a researcher, it ultimately reinforced the inherent need for systematic evaluation in applied settings.
Many talented entrepreneurs are creating novel products and services to address the challenges of an aging society in the 21st century. Many students are looking to become managers in aging services and to interact daily with older adults.
Just as important, however, is empirical evidence to direct the creation and proliferation of advancements in care. Research doesn’t just fit into the aging services industry; it’s necessary for us to understand what works and for whom.
Perhaps, too, we have other questions to ask ourselves as researchers: What can we learn from executive directors, CEOs, and managers of aging services? LeadingAge, as suggested in its name, is concerned with building authentic leaders.
One presenter introduced the idea of leading through learning, un-learning, and re-learning skills, and the discomfort we may feel in the process. Attending the LeadingAge Annual Meeting pushed me into discomfort, but I came back to Boston with a renewed confidence in my choice to pursue a research degree. The blinders were off, even if for 5 days, and I hope other Ph.D. students will also get the chance to see the wide, applied world.
Molly Wylie is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston.