Dr. Jodi Southerland, assistant professor in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Department of Community and Behavioral Health, recently had three articles published as part of the Gerontological Society of America's Advancing Gerontology through Exceptional Scholarship (AGES) Program, a mentorship initiative for early career faculty. This program is a 9-month program that offers mentorship/peer support and supports productivity through co-authorship opportunities.
“I had an amazing experience in the AGES program,” said Dr. Southerland. “I've significantly expanded my network of collaborators.”
The first article, “A Discourse Analysis of Cultural Influences on Alaska Native Successful Aging,” was published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work. Steffi Kim of the University of Alaska Anchorage was lead author. Additional authors included faculty from the University of Minnesota, Thompson Rivers University, and Texas A&M University. This work covered geographical remoteness, limited resources, and socioeconomic disparities which contribute to the migration of rural Alaska Native Elders to urban areas to access medical services and resources, improve economic situations, or reunite with family. The authors compared the discourse of 12 Elders in Anchorage who previously lived in four remote traditional villages in the Norton Sound region (ages 60–84) and 13 Elders in those villages (ages 48–80). Using Gee’s discourse analysis framework, two patterns emerged detailing cultural effects on identity and Eldership, illuminating differences in the self-evaluation of successful aging based on cultural influences and the role of contextual factors.
The second article, “Social isolation and loneliness prevention among rural older adults aging-in-place: a needs assessment,” was published in Frontiers in Public Health. Co-authors included ETSU College of Public Health faculty Dr. Erin Mauck and Dr. Zheng, and master of public health graduate Kayla Dodson. Additional authors included faculty from the Thompson Rivers University, University of South Carolina Columbia, University of North Dakota, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Central Florida and Texas A&M University.
This article covered the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness have been documented among older adults in rural communities and contribute to poor health outcomes, premature disability and mortality, and increased burden on the healthcare system. This identification of factors among older adults can build the foundation for rural policymakers and leaders to allocate resources and develop tailored strategies more efficiently. The article described findings from a needs assessment designed to understand local factors that contribute to social isolation and loneliness among rural older adults in a county in Northeast Tennessee. Findings from the needs assessment will be used by local stakeholders to develop strategies to promote age-friendly initiatives.
The third and final article, “Reframing and Advancing Academic Mentorship to Support New and Early Career Faculty Members”, was published in Health Behavior Research. Lead author is Juanita-Dawne Bascu of Thompson Rivers University. Additional authors include faculty from Marymount University, University of Alaska Anchorage, Clemson University, University of South Carolina Columbia, Duke University, Drexel University, University of North Dakota, Brown University, University of Central Florida, and Texas A&M University. The researchers wrote that mentorship is critical to fostering professional growth and career development in academia. However, academic mentorship is often an informal activity that is overlooked and under researched. There is much ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding mentorship roles and strategies in academia. This paper provides recommendations and strategies to reframe and advance academic mentorship to support new and early career faculty.