THANK YOU

I want to thank you for attending our OAGE conference at Bowling Green State University. We had a successful conference including many engaging sessions, conversations, and keynote speakers. Thank you to BG Manor and the Wood County Office on Aging for hosting open house receptions. Thank you also to our sponsors. Please make sure to follow up with conversations you have had with sponsors.

I hope you had a great experience and will stay active in OAGE and the aging network.  There are several ways in which to stay active in OAGE.

Please start following our OAGE LinkedIn page. This is a great way to stay engaged. Please also update your profile on our newly redone website (www.oage.org). This is a great way to network with other OAGE members and institutions.

Second, consider submitting an abstract for next year's conference. Ideas include research projects, community engagement projects, and workshops. You have the option of doing posters, individual presentations, symposia, and workshops. The call for abstracts will come out over the summer. Abstracts are generally due by early December. 

As part of this process, students are also encouraged to submit their work for our student awards. These include the Arnedia Smith Outstanding Undergraduate Paper, Dr. Jerome Kaplan Outstanding Graduate Paper Award, Dr. Ray Matura Conference Theme Paper, and the Marc Molea Innovation in Aging Awards. We plan to continue our OAGE/ODA Scholars in Aging program next year. Stay tuned for the applications later this summer.

If you are interested in being active this year in OAGE, please reach out to me at djvandussen@ysu.edu or you can also complete a committee interest form. We have several initiatives that welcome OAGE members' participation. These include the Policy/Legislative Affairs, Awards, Student, Communications, and Finance committees. I would be happy to answer any questions about the committees. 

We also would like to encourage you to donate to the Pamela Matura Memorial Student Travel Scholarship Fund. We were able to fund 10 travel scholarships this year allowing students who otherwise would not have been able to attend our conference. Donations can be made on the OAGE website.

Thank you, once again, for an unforgettable conference and be sure to mark your calendars for the 2026 OAGE Conference being held April 16-17 at The Ohio State University Main Campus.

Sincerely,

Dan Van Dussen
OAGE President