Ageing Better researcher wins prestigious gerontology award
Dr Aideen Young, Head of Research and Analysis at the Centre for Ageing Better, has received the prestigious British Society of Gerontology Outstanding Achievement Award.
She follows in the footsteps of some of the leading figures in the multidisciplinary scientific study of ageing since the award’s founding almost 20 years ago.
Dr Young received the award on 24 June at the BSG’s annual conference, held this year in Oxford.
The annual award is given to an individual who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the gerontological understanding of ageing, or to improving the lives of older people, through academic thinking, policy, practice or education.
The award recognises Dr Young’s expertise and commitment to addressing inequalities in ageing having worked at Ageing Better for more than ten years.
Previous award winners include an impressive line-up of 13 professors, including Professor Alan Walker, Professor Chris Philipson and Professor Anthea Tinker, who are all leading figures in the world of gerontology.
The award was established in 2007, and other previous recipients include Baroness Sally Greengross, Director General of Age Concern England, and Paul McGarry, who leads Greater Manchester's Ageing Hub. Others on the notable roll call of winners include academic, Professor Bleddyn Davies OBE, and Murna Downs, Professor of Dementia Studies.
The BSG was established in 1971 and provides a multidisciplinary forum for researchers and others who are interested in older people’s situations – and how knowledge about ageing and later life can be enhanced and improved.
Dr Young said:
I am really grateful and honoured for this award, but it really is an award for everyone at Ageing Better. This is recognition for the immense body of work that dozens of current staff, and former Ageing Better colleagues, have done over the last ten years. It is a fantastic acknowledgment of all of us.
Jemma Mouland, Deputy Director for Ageism and Inequality at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:
We are delighted that Aideen has received this award, which is a well-deserved recognition of the immense expertise and contagious energy she brings to her work on understanding our ageing population and the inequalities we experience as we age.
“Aideen has been with the Centre for Ageing Better from the start, joining as a research intern after completing her Master’s in Gerontology. Over the past decade she has played a key role across our work, including our flagship ‘State of Ageing’ programme. Aideen is now our Head of Research and Analysis and is a leading voice in the field.”
