Adult Development & Aging News | October 2017

Making the most of your Div. 20 student membership

New student representatives introduce themselves and discuss benefits of membership.

By Deanna Dragan and Victoria Marino

In the coming year as student representatives, we hope to increase the visibility of the division by exploring new strategies for communication and networking with fellow students. By increasing the visibility of the division, we hope to promote greater involvement of graduate students in Div. 20. By facilitating opportunities for their voices to be heard, we intend to bridge the gap of communication between our fellow graduate students and the executive committee.

We’re excited to disseminate updates regarding burgeoning areas of study and training in the field of adult development and aging in the Student News column of the Div. 20 newsletter.

In an effort to encourage and prepare graduate students to serve as future representatives for Div. 20, we aim to develop a mentoring model that will address barriers to student participation. We are grateful to have this opportunity to serve as your student representatives and look forward to making progress towards these goals over the next year.

Deanna Dragan is a third year graduate student pursuing her PhD in the clinical geropsychology program at the University of Alabama working under the mentorship of Martha Crowther, PhD, and Rebecca Allen, PhD. Her current research interests include how adults across the lifespan utilize religion and spirituality, interventions to support family caregivers, community-based participatory research and palliative care.

Victoria Marino is a second year graduate student at the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida. She is pursuing her PhD in aging studies and working under the mentorship of William E. Haley, PhD. Her research interests include the stress process, family caregiver well-being and resilience, post-traumatic growth and the positive aspects of caregiving.

Tips for making the most out of your Div. 20 membership:

  • Sign up for the Div. 20 Listserv for updates on postdoc positions, employment opportunities and other news in Div. 20 and the field of adult development and aging.
  • Join APAGS for connections to resources and opportunities to maximize your graduate training.
  • Reference the Div. 20 website for information, tips. and resources for teaching adult development and aging.
  • Investigate and compare graduate programs in the study of adult development and aging through Div. 20’s Graduate Studies Directory.
  • Network at Conferences: