Roybal Senior Scientist Vern Bengtson is one of the two editors of the newly published third edition of the Handbook of Theories of Aging. Richard Settersten, Jr., professor of Human Development and Family Sciences in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University, is the other editor.
Bengtson also served as an editor on the first and the second editions of the handbook, which is one of the most frequently cited books in gerontology. He has published 19 books and over 250 research papers in gerontology, theories of aging, sociology of aging and family sociology. He is also past president of The Gerontological Society of America—the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging.