The GATHER (Generating Aging and Translational Health Equity Research) Lab is a collaborative research effort led by Dr. Raven Weaver & Dr. Cory Bolkan.
The world population is changing and for the first time in human history, there are more older people than children. In the U.S., 20% of the population will be aged 65 and older within a decade (U.S. Census Bureau). The dramatic increases in life expectancy have greatly altered the experience of aging for individuals, families, communities, and societies and create many unique opportunities and urgent challenges for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers.
Adult development and aging are complex, multifaceted processes of growth and change that unfold over an entire lifetime, from birth to death. We recognize that early life experiences, as well as accumulated advantage and disadvantage, shape outcomes in later life and that intersectional identities (e.g., race, age, class, ability, gender, sexual orientation) are associated with unequal aging due to differences in power, resources, and life chances. We believe in the integration of research from diverse perspectives to improve health and achieve health equity.
The overall aims of our research are to improve the health and well-being of a diverse population of older adults and their families, prepare and strengthen the future geriatric workforce, and inform local and national aging policies and programs.
Anti Racist Statement
The unjust treatment of Black Americans and people of color is a public health crisis and this pervasive societal problem has deep roots in our country. The GATHER lab at Washington State University affirms its commitment to recognizing, addressing, and eliminating these roots across the entirety of the life course. We, as individuals and as a group, commit to the examination of our implicit bias, the use of our privilege to denounce institutional, systemic, and individual racism, and the use of an anti-racist lens within our research, instruction, service, and personal endeavors.
Other relevant statements
Gerontological Society of America – Aging Researchers Call for Inclusion, Justice and Equality
Society for Prevention Research – SPR and NPSC Statement Condemning Racism
WSU Human Development- Call to Action: To End Racial Injustice and Violence
WSU Vancouver- The Time is Always Ripe: Realizing Racial Equity and Justice at WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver Resources- Equity and Justice Resources
Land Acknowledgement
The GATHER Lab is co-located across Washington state in the cities of Pullman and Vancouver. In Pullman, the lab is located on the homelands of the Palus people and the lands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe. In Vancouver, the lab is located on the homelands of Chinookan and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. We would like to acknowledge their presence here since time immemorial and recognize their continuing connection to the land, the water, and their ancestors. We also want to thank these communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations.