American Society on Aging Honors Jon Pynoos

USC Davis School Professor will receive the Excellence in the Field of Aging Award from the American Society of Aging for his contributions to aging-related research, advocacy, and administration.

by Nicholas Slayton

Jon Pynoos, Ph.D, the UPS Foundation Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology will receive the Excellence in the Field of Aging Award from the American Society of Aging for his contributions to aging-related research, advocacy, and administration.

“The faculty and I are thrilled that Dr. Pynoos and his work have been recognized for their significant contribution to the field of aging,” said Gerald C. Davison, Ph.D., Dean of the USC Davis School of Gerontology and Executive Director of the Andrus Gerontology Center.

Pynoos serves as the director of the National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modifications, and the co-director of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence at USC. Both Centers provide older adults with information and technical assistance on how to make homes supportive and free of hazards that could cause accidents that jeopardize independence. In addition to training seniors and caregivers, the centers offer free information on their respective websites, homemods.org and stopfalls.org.

Pynoos’ work has been instrumental in helping older people to age in place and to insure that there are housing options connected with services in the community for those who have become frail He has been a pioneer in the field of housing, home modifications and environmental design and their impact  on older people.  He has advised on both state and national policy, and has been instrumental in developing legislation and programs related to home modifications and fall prevention in California

Pynoos has served as a delegate for the last three White House Conferences on Aging, and testified before Congress as an aging expert. He has been a member of the California Commission on Aging, the vice president of the Gerontological Society of America, and currently serves on the Public Policy Committee of the American Society on Aging.

“I am honored to receive this award. It is remarkable how much this field has grown in the last 30 years and I am privileged that I could play a role in its development,” said Pynoos.

The award will be presented to Pynoos at the 2010 Aging in America Conference in Chicago, IL on March 15.

For more information contact Maria Henke, (213) 740-1363 or email mhenke@usc.edu