Bridging the Gap Between Education, Practice, and Policy in Gerontology

The foundation for gerontological education at Miami University began in 1922 with the establishment of the Scripps Foundation for Research in Population Problems (renamed the Scripps Gerontology Center [SGC] in 1972). For over four decades, the SGC established itself at the forefront of research on population growth. In the 1960s, SGC recognized the need to train individuals in aging research, and in 1968, Miami University offered its first course in social gerontology in what is now the Department of Sociology and Gerontology (hereafter “Department”). The mission of the SGC is “to do work that makes a positive difference in the lives of aging individuals, their families and communities, and to meet the needs of aging societies” (https://www.miamioh.edu/cas/academics/centers/scripps/about/mission-history/index.html). This mission is enacted in three major ways: conducting applied research, coadministering academic programs in gerontology, and coordinating research and training activities for Miami University faculty with interest in aging (Scripps Research Fellows).