Professor Tina Peterson is named a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America for her contributions to the field of aging.

Caregiving is familiar to Tina Dothard Peterson. She’s currently providing respite care to a visiting family member.

“There’s a long history of caregiving within the African American community,” says Peterson, PhD, associate professor and director of the Aging Education Initiative at UC’s School of Social Work. “It’s just what we do culturally. You take care of your loved ones, family, and even friends. While caregiving resources have increased, historically, the African American community assumed caregiving responsibilities due to restricted or limited access to formal services.”

Having devoted her career to researching and teaching about intergenerational family caregiving and specifically older grandparents raising adolescent grandchildren, Peterson is an expert in aging-related issues. And now she’s being recognized by her peers for her outstanding contributions to the field of gerontology. In June, Peterson was named a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. Peterson, along with 48 other professionals, will be formally recognized at GSA’s 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in November in Tampa, Florida.

“It’s a blessing,” says Peterson, who has been involved in the GSA since 2007 and joined UC last fall. “This is the highest membership level that you can achieve with the GSA, so it positions me to bring more visibility to UC and all the work the university is doing to promote aging education.”

Armed with a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in social work, plus a Master of Public Health, Peterson’s 30-year career features a diverse mix of serving others through her various roles as a certified social worker, teaching at the collegiate level, pursuing grant and fellowship opportunities, serving on committees, and bolstering her research portfolio with numerous presentations and peer-reviewed scholarly publications. In addition to being an active member of several interest groups within GSA’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, Peterson is involved with Ohio Association of Gerontology and Education (OAGE), Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio, and Association for Professionals in Aging (APA).

“My career has been filled with some amazing mentoring opportunities,” Peterson says. “I’ve had some excellent exposure to scholars from across the country who have supported me and helped me get to where I am today.”

One of Peterson’s earliest mentors helped spark her interest in researching custodial grandparenting. While pursuing her PhD from the University of Alabama in the mid-2000s, Peterson worked as a research assistant for Dr. Martha Crowther, a psychology professor and national expert on grandparents raising grandchildren. Crowther enlisted Peterson to help lead a support group for grandparents raising grandchildren, which exposed her to the various challenges and health inequities that older adults in caregiving roles often experience. Peterson’s research interests have since expanded to include self-management of hypertension in older African American women family caregivers.

“As I get older, I want to be knowledgeable so I can improve how I take care of myself. I’m also trying to transfer knowledge so that my students are aware [of aging-related issues] and prepared to competently work with and on behalf of older adults and their family members,” Peterson says. “We are all aging. Every aspect of society is being touched by aging, and we need to make sure there are no discriminatory practices in place.”

As director of UC’s Aging Education Initiative, Peterson is dedicated to expanding interdisciplinary educational and research opportunities that are focused on caring for aging populations and accessible for faculty, staff, students, and community members. She’s also focused on establishing strategic goals for the program, starting with increasing visibility.

Peterson leverages her connections with local aging networks to increase awareness of the James Gruber Endowed Fund for Aging Education, which was established in 2016 to fund the initiative. Named after lifelong social worker and Cincinnati resident James Gruber, the endowment supports his vision of improving geriatric care through educating young professionals on aging-related issues and how to properly care for older adults. 

“We have a shortage of professionals working with the older population,” says Shauna Acquavita, PhD, professor and director of UC’s School of Social Work. “So, the work that Dr. Peterson does through UC’s Aging Education Initiative to enhance interdisciplinary educational and research opportunities focused on caring for older adults ultimately helps improve the quality of life for older adults here in our community and beyond. The James Gruber Endowed Fund for Aging Education ensures that this work is possible.”

Peterson meets with Gruber often to discuss ways to increase engagement and donations. Together they hope to scale the Gruber Aging Symposium, an event the College of Allied Health Sciences hosted for the first time last fall to provide continuing education opportunities on intergenerational caregiving. Additionally, Peterson is working to connect students with scholarships available through OAGE and APA; spotlight students pursuing gerontology related careers in the college’s newsletters; identify and partner with faculty who have aging expertise across campus; and develop an interprofessional education program at UC that’s specific to gerontology. 

“UC is doing a lot across campus related to aging education, so I’m really excited to be here,” Peterson says. “We want to make sure our students are aware of and taking advantage of the aging education that’s available.”

Featured image at the top: Photo of Tina Dothard Peterson. Photo/Colleen Kelley/Photographer