International Allies in Aging

Gerald C. Davison, dean of the USC Davis School of Gerontology, delivers two important talks and meets with global leaders in Japan
By Jonathan Riggs

Dean Gerald C. Davison, Ph.D.

The bonds of shared scholarship and science continue to connect the United States and Japan, who stand at the forefront of many of the aging revolution’s world-changing developments and breakthroughs.

Traveling to Japan to accept two high-profile speaking engagements, the USC Davis School of Gerontology’s Dean Gerald C. Davison delivered lectures and offered evidence-based policy advice emphasizing the gerontological and psychological challenges faced by people across the lifespan, especially under stressful conditions.

Davison began his tour by delivering the keynote lecture, "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Role of Clinical Psychology," at an international symposium held at Tokyo University. In the speech, written in collaboration with one of his doctoral students, Michelle Feng, Davison addressed an audience of more than a thousand of the nation’s mental health providers currently facing the psychological aftermath of the recent Japanese earthquake, tsunami and the ongoing threat of nuclear fallout.

"May I say how honored I am to be invited once again to give a keynote speech at this world-class university in a country that is admired and respected around the world for its industriousness, talent, and most recently, its courage in dealing with a combination of serious natural disasters that are unique in human history," Davison said. "As an American who is fortunate to have several friends and colleagues in Japan and who has taught many Japanese students over the years, let me say how grateful I am to have been invited back here to share ideas and comradeship."

For his second engagement, Davison delivered a lecture on stress management with a particular emphasis on older adults at the Yamano College of Aesthetics. As part of the international, interdisciplinary relationship between the two schools, the USC Davis School of Gerontology will begin teaching a special Internet-based gerontology course for Yamano this spring.

Davison ended the tour by bringing his message directly to Masaharu Nakagawa, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in a special visit. The two discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by the nation’s aging population, and the overarching need to educate the entire populace—at any age—in gerontology for the benefit of the older adults of today as well as of tomorrow.

All in all, Davison’s visit helped reaffirm the strong bond between leaders in the field of aging in both Japan as well as the United States.

"This was my fourth trip to Tokyo since I became dean of the USC Davis School of Gerontology," he said. "It was very gratifying to nurture my personal and professional relationships, as well as to witness the resourcefulness and resilience of the Japanese people."

Dean Gerald C. Davison, Ph.D. and Masaharu Nakagawa Japanese Minister of Education