Dong earns GSA's 2017 M. Powell Lawton Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA)—the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging—has chosen XinQi Dong, MD, MPH, FGSA, of the Rush University Medical Center as the 2017 recipient of the M. Powell Lawton Award.

This distinguished honor recognizes a significant contribution in gerontology that has led to an innovation in gerontological treatment, practice or service, prevention, amelioration of symptoms or barriers, or a public policy change that has led to some practical application that improves the lives of older persons. It is sponsored by the Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center for Jewish Life's Polisher Research Institute and is named in memory of M. Powell Lawton, PhD, for his outstanding contributions to applied gerontological research.

The award presentation will take place at GSA's 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 18 to 22 in Boston, Massachusetts. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process.

At the Rush University Medical Center, Dong is a professor of medicine, behavioral sciences, and nursing; the director of the Chinese Health, Aging, and Policy Program; and the associate director of the Rush Institute for Health Aging. He has also served as a senior policy and research advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a commissioner with the American Bar Association's Commission on Law and Aging. He is also the principal investigator of the PINE Study, a longitudinal cohort study of more than 3,100 Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area. In 2017, Dong published "Elder Abuse: Research, Practice and Policy" (Springer), the largest volume of the state-of-the-science textbook on elder abuse.

Dong's research focuses on the epidemiological studies of family violence, resilience and health outcomes both in the U.S. and China, with particular emphasis on mental health and cognitive outcomes. He actively works with Chinese communities to promote understanding and civic engagement on the issues of elder abuse and neglect through innovative culturally and linguistically appropriate ways. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chinese American Service League, the largest social services organization in the Midwest serving the needs of Chinese population. He previously served as an American Political Science Association congressional policy fellow/health and aging policy fellow, working with a diverse group of policy leaders at the national, state, and local levels on issues relevant to elder abuse and neglect. He is a fellow of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago and chaired the Institute of Medicine Global Violence Prevention Forum workshop on elder abuse prevention. Dong also is a GSA fellow, which is the highest level of membership within the Society. In 2011, he received GSA's Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Productive Aging, and in 2015, he received the Joseph T. Freeman Award from GSA's Health Sciences Section.

Provided by The Gerontological Society of America