Aging and Longevity - Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis

Building better workplaces for an aging workforce

Roger — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:19:33 +0000

As Americans work longer than previous generations, employers have an opportunity to create workplaces that support employees of all ages, according to a new article by Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor and assistant dean for faculty affairs at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging. Writing in Generations Journal, Halvorsen and co-authors Bruna C. Lopez and Erika Sabbath, both of Boston College, argue that the nation’s increasingly age-diverse workforce requires employers to move beyond generational stereotypes and instead focus on creating high-quality workplaces that promote health, well-being and opportunity across the lifespan. In 2024, for the first time in U.S. history, the number of Americans age 62 and older exceeded the...

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In aging policy class, ��s turn coursework into real-world projects

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:17:00 +0000

In a classroom at the ��, ��s in an aging policy course are moving beyond traditional assignments, crafting op-eds, building websites and designing policy materials aimed at real-world impact. The projects come from “Social Policies, Services and Programs in Aging,” a course taught by Cal J. Halvorsen, associate professor and assistant dean for faculty affairs at the Brown School and co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging. The course examines social policies related to aging across public and private sectors, including income security, health care, employment, social services, taxes, housing, and retirement systems. “I want them to have something they can actually show an employer that they’ve done and that they’re proud of,” Halvorsen said. “I...

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Halvorsen named co-director of Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

admin — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:55:00 +0000

Cal J. Halvorsen, a gerontological social work scholar and associate professor at Washington University’s Brown School, will step into a new leadership role this summer as co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging. Beginning in July, Halvorsen will share leadership of the center with Brian Carpenter, a professor of psychological and brain in Arts & Sciences. He succeeds Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown School, who is stepping back after more than a decade as co-director. Morrow-Howell will remain involved as a senior adviser. Halvorsen will also serve as assistant dean for faculty affairs at the Brown School beginning July 1. Dorian Traube, the Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of...

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Morrow-Howell authors guide to promote age inclusivity in higher education

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:36:15 +0000

Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the ��, has authored a new guide aimed at helping colleges and universities communicate more effectively about age and aging. The guide, “Age Inclusivity in Higher Education Quick Start Guide,” was released by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). It builds on tools developed by the National Center to Reframe Aging and the Age lnclusivity Domains of Higher Education model. The guide presents strategies to enhance more age-inclusive messages and languages on campuses with the aim to promote more positive attitudes about age and more productive learning and work environments for people of all ages. The Age lnclusivity Domains of Higher Education model identifies seven institutional areas to focus on to create an age-inclusive...

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Morrow-Howell, Halvorsen appointed to organizations for older adults

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:51:01 +0000

Nancy Morrow-Howell and Cal J. Halvorsen, faculty members at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have been appointed to serve on local organizations that support older adults. Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and co-director of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Brown School, has been named to the board of directors of the St. Louis City Area Agency on Aging. Funded through federal, state, local and private sources, the agency coordinates community-based services for older adults and their caregivers in the city. She also has been appointed as a commissioner on the St. Louis County’s Older Adult Commission. The commission advises the county executive and County departments on matters relevant...

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Halvorsen receives gerontology leadership award

admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:17:00 +0000

Cal J. Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has received the Leadership Award from the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW). The award, given by the AGESW board of directors after an internal nomination and review process, honors faculty members who demonstrate exceptional leadership in social work education and aging, recognizing those who advance the field, mentor colleagues and ��s, and foster innovation in gerontology education. Halvorsen served on the AGESW board of directors from 2018 to 2020 and currently mentors doctoral ��s in the organization’s Pre-Dissertation Fellows Program on public and community-engaged scholarship. Halvorsen was praised by AGESW for his “consistent, high-impact leadership within AGESW and the wider field—elevating...

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Friedman Center for Aging marks nearly 30 years of leadership, new home at Brown School

admin — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:53:44 +0000

For nearly three decades, the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University has been at the forefront of research and programs addressing the challenges and opportunities of an aging society, from health care and housing to preparing for retirement and combating ageism. The center has become a nationally recognized resource for training professionals and helping communities to support older adults. Now part of the Brown School, the Friedman Center is WashU’s only program dedicated exclusively to interdisciplinary aging research, education and community engagement. To celebrate its relocation, the center hosted a lively event on Sept. 25 in Hillman Hall’s Clark-Fox Forum, drawing more than 140 attendees, including ��s, faculty, alumni, community members and local leaders in aging services. ...

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Brown School members recognized by Gerontological Society of America

Roger — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 19:42:13 +0000

Vanessa Fabbre and Cal Halvorsen, both associate professors at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, have been named 2025 Gerontological Society of America Fellows, while Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, received the Barbara J. Berkman Award for Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research, Practice, or Policy in Aging and Health Care. The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging. It serves more than 6,000 members in over 50 countries. The award presentations will take place at GSA’s 2025 annual scientific meeting, which will be held Nov. 12-15 in Boston. The society selected 47 new fellows. Fellow status is peer recognition for outstanding contributions to the field of gerontology and represents the highest category of GSA membership....

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Halvorsen named Impact Fellow by CoGenerate

admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:52:00 +0000

Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School, has been named a CoGen Impact Fellow by CoGenerate, a national nonprofit dedicated to fostering a multigenerational society. Halvorsen is one of just 11 individuals selected nationwide as fellows, recognized for their efforts to bridge generational divides and address pressing societal challenges. As a fellow, he will advise GoGenerate on topics including national survey research and program impact and evaluation. Halvorsen’s research focuses on aging populations and later-life work, including self-employment, volunteering, intergenerational initiatives, and the experiences of low-income older adults in the workforce. This new role as a CoGen Impact Fellow builds on his long-standing relationship with the organization. After graduating with his MSW from the Brown School in 2008, Halvorsen worked for...

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Older adults play key role in tornado recovery

admin — Thu, 22 May 2025 16:39:37 +0000

As St. Louis begins to recover from the May 16 tornado, one group is often overlooked in disaster recovery: older adults. However, according to an expert on productive aging at the Brown School, older adults could play a critical role if given the opportunity. “Older people have skills, networks, and a desire to help. The easiest way to mobilize older adults as volunteers is simply to ask them,” said Cal J. Halvorsen, associate professor at the Brown School, who studies aging societies, work, and social purpose and impact. Halvorsen noted that engaging older residents in recovery efforts doesn’t require complicated outreach. It can be simple: church bulletins, community fliers, and social media can be effective ways to spread the word,...

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Halvorsen advises on spirituality study

Roger — Thu, 22 May 2025 13:47:27 +0000

Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor at the ��, served as adviser on a CoGenerate survey on faith communities and engagement. CoGenerate worked with YouGov to conduct a national survey of 1,500 adults in the U.S. about their religious and spiritual communities, their interaction with older and younger people and their views on building connections across different age groups. The survey was nationally representative by gender, age, race, education and political affiliation. The findings reveal considerable age segregation in people’s lives and a strong appetite for intergenerational connection and collaboration — or “co-generation” — to counter it. They also identify challenges and opportunities for harnessing co-generation to support spiritual growth and transform religious life. Halvorsen is a gerontological social work scholar whose work...

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Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging relocates to the Brown School

admin — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 16:31:21 +0000

The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging has officially relocated to WashU’s Brown School from the Institute for Public Health, marking a significant milestone in the center’s ongoing efforts to promote the interests of older adults and aging societies across all disciplines and professions. Founded in 1998 through the vision of Chancellor Emeritus Mark Wrighton and later supported by an endowment from the Harvey A. & Dorismae Hacker Friedman family, the center has long been a leader in education, research and community engagement related to all aspects of aging. In 2012, Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown School, took on leadership of the center, followed by the appointment of co-director Brian Carpenter,...

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Volunteering reduces rate of aging, study finds

Roger — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 21:59:45 +0000

Volunteering, even a small amount, is linked to slower age acceleration for both retirees and working people, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “We found that the effects of a moderate level of volunteering — between 50 to 199 hours per year, or about one to four hours per week — were strongest for retired people,” said Cal Halvorsen, an associate professor at the Brown School and co-author of the study “Does volunteering reduce epigenetic age acceleration among retired and working older adults? Results from the Health and Retirement Study.” The study will be published in the January issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine. “It’s quite possible that the act of...

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Friedman Center grant to study experiences of ageism

Roger — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:13:45 +0000

The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at WashU has received an 18-month $136,000 grant from the RRF Foundation for Aging to study how older adults understand and experience ageism. Ageism is “prevalent, invisible and hurts older people and communities,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown School, who leads the study with center co-director Brian Carpenter, a professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences. The research team is planning a series of focus groups for the study, “Using Older People’s Understanding of Ageism to Develop Interventions to Combat It.” To expand knowledge about older adults’ experiences with ageism and to help the researchers develop essential elements for an intervention, the...

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COVID-19 job losses impacted early withdrawal from retirement accounts

Roger — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:47:32 +0000

Having a robust emergency savings fund could help people weather financial shocks, such as job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “We found that for individuals who lost jobs, those with at least three months’ worth of emergency savings were significantly less likely to tap into their retirement savings early,” said Haotian Zheng, a PhD candidate and lead author of “Job loss during COVID-19 on early retirement withdrawals: A moderated-mediation analysis,” published this month in The Journal of Consumer Affairs. “Ultimately, this study emphasizes the importance of emergency savings in helping workers stay financially resilient during crises,” Zheng said. “Building and maintaining a sufficient emergency savings can help...

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