Learning to Lead in the Field of Aging

This past fall, I joined the team at Archstone Foundation as a Program Intern. My tenure here has allowed me to grow as a leader, diversify my experience, and start answering critical questions about gerontology’s future: As the field’s relevance grows, what should be our goal? What will be my role in achieving this goal?

My doctoral program at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology has uniquely prepared me for this internship. Through my health policy fellowship, I worked in Washington D.C., as well as working on California’s Master Plan for Aging. These experiences have allowed me to hit the ground running and work alongside the Archstone Foundation team on publications, future funding directions, and information gathering. Throughout the course of my internship, I was motivated to understand the Foundation’s process for strategic planning, partnering with grantees, and collaborating with other organizations.

Improving California’s Mental Health Workforce

One notable project I worked on was an effort to improve California’s older adult mental health workforce by supporting geriatric psychiatry programs. We know that depression is the most common mental illness in late life, suicide attempts are more lethal among older adults, and one in six older adults are at risk for or have drinking problems. A substantive and well-trained mental health workforce will be needed to address these issues for older adults, especially as our population rapidly ages.

Unfortunately, we’re seeing a decline in the number of new geriatric psychiatrists, who play an important role in providing appropriate mental health services to older adults. I worked closely with Archstone Foundation President and CEO Christopher Langston to address this problem. I also discussed with geriatric psychiatry program directors the barriers, facilitators, and potential solutions for increasing the number of geriatric psychiatrists in California. This project allowed Archstone Foundation to develop and refine effective funding strategies to improve California’s mental health workforce.

The most important thing this internship has done for me is to support my development as a leader. At Archstone Foundation, I had the pleasure of observing and learning from Langston about what it takes to motivate a team, build relationships, and advance the field of aging. Specifically, the mental health workforce project provided me an opportunity to reach out to directors one-on-one, and use my aging and policy expertise to explore innovative solutions to complex problems. I was inspired by the tenacity of these leaders, as they recounted wrestling with a system that did not support them.

I also had the unique opportunity to have in-depth conversations with Joseph F. Prevratil, recently retired President and CEO of Archstone Foundation, about my work and my path after graduation. His extensive experience in industry and philanthropy informed my perspective in a way that would have been difficult to discover on my own.

Understanding the Critical Role Philanthropy Plays

During my time at Archstone Foundation, the way I think about the study of aging has evolved. In gerontology, we learn that the subfields of aging biology, psychology, sociology, and policy are intertwined. I surmise that this link between subfields is constantly changing and not well-understood.

Until very recently, I assumed that this link could only be uncovered through rigorous academic research. However, with the help of this internship, I am convinced that not only can aging philanthropy, service providers, and industry contribute to uncovering the answer, but that this question cannot be answered without them.

As I graduate this May, I hope to develop into a leader in the field of aging and improve the lives of all people throughout their life course. I am grateful to Archstone Foundation for helping me on my journey.