School of Public Health Professor Tetyana Shippee recently received the Gerontologist of the Year award from the Minnesota Gerontological Society (MGS). The MGS is the state’s leading organization supporting education, research, and practice in the field of aging, and the award is the organization’s highest honor.

As a social gerontologist, Shippee’s work focuses on what matters to people as they age, such as improving the quality of life for older adults receiving long-term care services and addressing health disparities. A growing portion of her work has focused on improving long-term care for persons with diagnoses of Alzheimer’s or other dementia (AD/ADRD), with the focus on quality of life and addressing disparities in care for those with AD/ADRD and their caregivers.

The Minnesota Gerontological Society established the Outstanding Gerontologist of the Year award in 1984 to recognize individuals who have made positive contributions to the lives of older persons throughout Minnesota.

“This recognition is significant to me for many reasons,” Shippee said. “It recognizes that the work of social gerontologists is needed and valued in our communities, especially as we navigate unprecedented demographic shifts towards aging populations. It strengthens my commitment to my research mission and vision, which are dedicated to improving quality of life for older adults in long-term care settings and addressing health care disparities.”

“I am grateful to my community partners for nominating me, but this recognition truly belongs to the collective efforts of older Minnesotans, their families, providers, consumer advocates, collaborators at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, and my colleagues at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation.”  

Shippee is an expert in quality and equity in long-term services and supports (assisted living, nursing homes, home and community-based services) with interdisciplinary training and expertise in gerontology and sociology. Her work aims to inform policy and practice in transforming how long-term care is delivered. Earlier this year, she led research on the state’s new Assisted Living Report Card, which allows consumers to look up assisted living residences and find comparative ratings based on resident and family surveys, as well as ratings based on state inspections.