2025 Keynote Presenters

Thursday, March 20 Keynote

Dawn C. CarrDawn C. Carr, PhD, MGS, FGSA
Director, Claude Pepper Center
Professor, Department of Sociology
Co-Director, Aging Research on Contexts, Health & Inequalities
Faculty Fellow, Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University

Dr. Dawn Carr is the Director of the Claude Pepper Center and Professor of Sociology at Florida State University. Carr’s research focuses on issues related to work and retirement, caregiving, and volunteering during later life, as well as the psychological factors that shape responses to stressful exposures. Her mission as a scholar and through her role as director of a policy-focused research center on aging is to identify factors that bolster older adults’ ability to remain healthy, active, and engaged as long as possible. Before joining Florida State University in 2016, she previously worked at the Stanford Center on Longevity, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University where she also completed her Master’s in Gerontological Studies and her PhD in Social Gerontology in 2009.

Keynote Presentation: The Role of Psychological Resilience in Coping with Spousal Loss

This presentation will describe the way that scientists evaluate psychological resilience and unique challenges associated with experiencing spousal loss. Based on data drawn from a longitudinal national sample, this presentation will show research findings on the associations between spousal loss and mental health for older men and women during the immediate period following spousal loss and again two years later. The talk will conclude with a discussion about how these findings can be used to inform policies and programs that facilitate improved quality of later life.

Presentation Objectives:

• Introduce the concept of psychological resilience as a critical characteristic that influences responses to stressful exposures in later life.

• Describe the ways in which the protective effects of psychological resilience on mental health outcomes vary by gender.

• Demonstrate how recovery from stressful events, including spousal loss, occurs over longer periods of time as people navigate normative emotional responses to grief.

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Friday, March 21 Keynote

Emelia D. McCuenEmelia D. McCuen (Exum) PT, DPT, GCS, CCS
Board-Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist
Board-Certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist
Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Physical Therapy, Bowling Green State University

Dr. Emelia McCuen completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2009 from The Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Bowling Green State University and maintains clinical practice at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Emelia is a Board Certified Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical Specialist and Geriatric Clinical Specialist. Her areas of clinical expertise include acute care, critical care, geriatrics, and cardiovascular and pulmonary practice.

 

Keynote Presentation: Are the Golden Years Really Golden? Addressing Identity in the Aging Population Through Value and Purpose

The aging population is a robust and dynamic community of individuals with unique needs and characteristics. Often, they are generalized and marginalized into stereotypical roles in the golden years of life that may not support their preferred identity. How can we in the gerontology community acknowledge and advocate for the preferred identity of the aging adults that we support. This presentation will explore the various identities of the aging adult and the societal challenges that they face. It will also discuss the importance of value and sense of purpose on identity in the aging adult. Last, it will relay a call to action for professionals and caregivers to promote the identity of the aging adult as valuable in society and in the workforce.

Presentation Objectives:

• Identify the various identities of an aging adult.

• Explore their caregiving role in support of the chosen identify of the aging adult.

• Advocate for resources to improve the capabilities of the aging adult.