Program Area: Social Research, Policy, and Practice
Kexin Yu, PhD, MSW
Postdoctoral scholar
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Oregon Health & Science University
Palo Alto, California, United States
Sarah Dys, PhD, MPA (she/her/hers)
Research Associate
Institute on Aging
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon, United States
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Jessica Finlay, PhD
Research Investigator
Social Environment and Health Program, Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Emily Greenfield, PhD
Professor of Social Work
School of Social Work
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Terri Lewinson, PhD
Associate Professor in The Dartmouth Institute and Epidemiology
Geisel School of Medicine
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
From Lawton’s seminal Ecological Theory of Aging (ETA) to the recent development of Wahl’s COntext Dynamics of Aging (CODA), conceptual and empirical work has repeatedly shown that the living environments fundamentally influence health and wellbeing in later life. The CODA framework posits five correlated contexts that can predict developmental outcomes in aging: physical, social, service, socioeconomic, and technological contexts. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic further manifested the lack of environmental justice for marginalized and minoritized older adults, calling for reflection on the paradigm for ecological aging research, practice, and actionable policymaking. This SRPP/ESPO symposium featured emerging and established scholars’ work that shed light on reimagining environmental justice for older adults with diverse abilities, backgrounds, and resources. Panelists will share stories of their professional development journeys, highlighting empirical evidence with under-researched, systematically excluded populations and examining new directions in aging and environment research. Topics include accessible and affordable housing, built environment, neighborhood contexts, conceptualizing the community, and the experiences of those most likely to bear the burden of precarious housing in later life. This symposium will hold the space for emerging scholars to learn and discuss short- and long-term practice and policy priorities for promoting environmental justice for older adults and provide tools to conceptualize their research informed through ecological and equity-centered perspectives.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jessica M. Finlay, PhD – University of Michigan
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Emily Greenfield, PhD – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Terri Lewinson, PhD – The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice