Marilyn Gugliucci featured in Gerontology News

Marilyn Gugliucci, M.A., Ph.D., professor and director of Geriatrics Education and Research in UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine, was recently interviewed by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) for its publication Gerontology News.

Gugliucci was interviewed about the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) and its mark on gerontology education.

In 1972, the Administration on Aging established a grant program to fund gerontology training programs at colleges and universities. Two years later, the AGHE was formed.

“AGHE has steadily supported education on aging at higher education institutions, including community colleges,” Gugliucci told Gerontology News. “For many years we had the AGHE K-12 Task Force to ensure that education on aging was being integrated into elementary schools. The key was to promote positive images of aging rather than focusing on the disease, decline, withdrawal model that was quite prevalent.”

Gugliucci says the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging, but it has not slowed down the work of the AGHE.

“When the pandemic affected gerontology and health professions programs, the AGHE Connect Community jumped on board to share ideas and resources,” she stated. “Networking during these challenging times keeps ideas flowing, builds greater networks, and generates opportunities for sharing ideas or creating new ones. Being part of AGHE opens access to this wonderful wealth of knowledge.”

The GSA is devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology and has more than 5,000 members in the United States and across the globe. Gugliucci is a member of the GSA Board of Directors and a former president of the AGHE.