2018
Peggye Dilworth-Anderson
Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, PhD, is Professor of Health Policy and Management in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC). Dilworth-Anderson’s areas of expertise include family caregiving to dementia patients, minority aging and health, and chronic disease care and management in cultural context. Her body of research and publications has helped build knowledge to inform researching, translating and disseminating information on chronic disease care in medically underserved populations. She is the 2010 recipient of the Ronald & Nancy Reagan Alzheimer’s Research Award for her research contributions on Alzheimer’s disease in underserved populations.
Dr. Dilworth-Anderson has served on numerous boards, committees, and in leadership roles that address aging issues and healthcare outcomes including the National Research Advisory Council of the Institute on Aging/NIH (2007-2011) and on the Forum on Aging, Disability & Independence- Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in 2012 – 2014. In 2010, she was president of the Gerontological Society of America. She currently serves on the Global Council on Brain Health (2015-2018) with twelve other national and international scholars, is a member of the Robert Wood Johnson National Advisory Board for the Clinical Scholars Program, and she is a member of the board of directors of the Alzheimer’s Association, Eastern North Carolina Chapter.
Dr. Dilworth-Anderson has taught courses in aging, qualitative research methods, and most recently in translational health disparities. In addition to teaching, she has dedicated many years to mentoring graduate students, fellows, and junior and mid-career faculty members. In recognition of her mentoring, she received the Minority Task Force Mentor Award in 2006 from the Gerontological Society of America and the UNC Faculty- to-Faculty Mentoring Award in 2012 from the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council.
Elizabeth Jimenez
USC Roybal Institute Community Partnership Award
Elizabeth Jimenez is the current Project Director of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) Multi-Purpose Senior Services Program. Mrs. Jimenez has over 25 years experiences in the administration, development and evaluation of senior social services to the Latino community. She has been a passionate advocate of seniors in her community since beginning her work at the MAOF, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles having served in several local city and county collaborative boards on how to deliver effective services to the Latino senior community. She oversees over five other satellite offices and twenty-five employees that offer supportive services to seniors. Mrs. Jimenez is well respected for helping to transform the delivery of social services to seniors to a person-centered approach. She serves in various local and state advisory councils for the aging population, including the California Commission on Aging, the White Memorial Medical Center Community Leadership Council and the USC Caregivers Association.
She has taken a lead role in the City of Los Angeles to increase funding for senior service programs and cultivating culturally appropriate services. For this reason, she has been recognized with awards by multiple entities that specialize in gerontology such as the National Hispanic Council on Aging, Washington, D.C., the Molina Health Group as a Community Champion of Seniors and the City of Los ANgeles Department of Aging.
2016
Steven P. Wallace
Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
Steven P. Wallace is Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Director of the NIA-funded Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research Coordinating Center, and Associate Director at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. He is a leading scholar in the U.S. in the area of aging in communities of color. He has published research on access to long-term care by diverse elderly groups, inequities in the consequences of health policy changes for racial/ethnic minority elderly, and the politics of aging. His interest in reaching a policy and key stakeholder audience has led him to also publish several dozen policy briefs and reports at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Those briefs and his other research have received broad media coverage, including articles and stories in The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, National Public Radio, and Fox News. He has testified at state legislative hearings and in other forums, and his research has informed state laws. Funding for his work is currently from CDC, DHHS, NIH, The Commonwealth Fund, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, recipient of the APHA Aging & Public Health Section’s leadership award, and received the Birren Senior Scholar Award from the California Council on Gerontology & Geriatrics.
Jennifer L. Spalding
USC Roybal Institute Community Partnership Award
Jennifer Spalding is Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of AltaMed. In this role, she oversees the Senior Care Services component of AltaMed’s health care services, which includes eight PACE program sites, the MSSP/SPP grant programs, Primary Care and IPA network management. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Pepperdine University. Spalding has also held a California Registered Nurse license for over thirty-five years and started with AltaMed in December 2004, as its Director of PACE.
A dynamic executive with over 40 years of progressive healthcare management experience, she has a diverse background in managed care, operations, accreditation, marketing, compliance and regulatory issues, with demonstrated positive results. Her strong track record of increased operational efficiencies and improved customer and associate satisfaction is consistent with her history of meeting and exceeding internal and external regulatory guidelines.
Spalding has been recognized for an effective management style that results in strong team development, and high productivity with a reputation for professionalism, integrity and honesty. Known as a strong personal contributor to the work product, with the ability to work in a highly charged environment, she is recognized for her excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
2014
Robert J. Taylor
Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
Robert J. Taylor is the Sheila Feld Collegiate Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan. He is also a faculty associate with the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research. Taylor has published extensively on the informal social support networks of adult and elderly Black Americans. He has been principal investigator of several grants from the National Institute on Aging that examine the role of religion in the lives of Black and White elderly adults. He has been co-principal investigator with James Jackson on several grants from the National Institute of Mental Health on the correlates of mental health and mental illness among Black Americans, including the only major national study of the prevalence of mental illness among Black Americans (the National Survey of American Life).
Rigo J. Saborio
USC Roybal Institute Community Partnership Award
2012
Ronald J. Angel
Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
Ronald J. Angel is a Professor and former chair of the Department of Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin. Angel was one of the driving forces behind the development of the field of Hispanic aging research and has served on advisory boards for the National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is also the author of five books and several refereed journal articles, chapters and reports on minority aging and health disparities.
Laura Trejo
USC Roybal Institute Community Partnership Award
Laura Trejo is the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, where she oversees the overall administration of the department and serves as technical and policy advisor to the mayor. Trejo earned her master’s degrees in gerontology and public administration from USC and is a well-known national leader in the field of aging services and education. She has received numerous honors, including the 2011 Gloria Cavanaugh Award for Excellence in Training and Education from the American Society on Aging, and been invited to speak at more than 300 professional and scientific meetings.
2011
James S. Jackson
Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
James S. Jackson is the Daniel Katz Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, and Director of the Institute for Social Research, all at the University of Michigan. Jackson is an elected a member of the Institute of Medicine and a preeminent expert on aging and health among African-American populations. He currently directs the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan—one of the largest and oldest academic survey and social research organizations in the world.
Slettie M. Jones
Inaugural USC Roybal Institute Community Partnership Award
Slettie M. Jones is the Corporate Director of Older Adult Services for Pacific Clinics. Jones is an expert in the area of geriatric mental health and has been instrumental in the development of mental health services for older adults in the greater Los Angeles area. As a commissioner with the city of Long Beach, he played a major role in developing the city’s strategic plan for older adults. He also previously served as the chair of the Field Advisory Board for the Department of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach.
2010
Kyriakos S. Markides
Inaugural Pearmain Prize for Excellence in Research on Aging
Kyriakos S. Markides is the Annie and John Gnitzinger Distinguished Professor of Aging and Director of the Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Markides is a leading authority on aging and health issues in Mexican American populations. He is widely credited with coining the term ‘Hispanic Epidemiological Paradox,’ and the Institute for Scientific Information (ISA) listed him among the most highly cited social scientists in the world.