The Carolina Aging Network (CAN) officially launched on May 30, 2024. CAN is a grassroots, cross-campus collaborative advancing aging-related community partnerships, education and training, and research at Carolina.
On May 30, CAN members gathered at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill to identify priorities and action steps for the coming year. The May meeting extended conversations from an initial gathering, which took place on November 30, 2023.
The meeting was planned and organized by the CAN leadership team: Dr. Ryan Lavalley from the Community Practice Lab in the Department of Health Sciences, Linda Kendall-Fields and Ali Climo from the Center for Aging and Adult Research and Educational Services (Cares) in the School of Social Work, and Denisé Dews from the Center for Aging and Health in the School of Medicine.
“Carolina has a long history of building academic and community collaborations in the aging field. We see this effort as a new and exciting opportunity to bolster the necessary partnerships needed in our state to continue to serve more and more older adults,” said Lavalley.
Attendees identified several priority areas for 2024-2025, including building organizational capacity, exploring financial sustainability, developing a database of shared tools and resources, and creating a state-wide aging advisory board.
In breakout groups, attendees also produced goals around CAN’s three focus areas:
- Community Partnership: develop community-facing resources, including website, inventory, and newsletter; create community partnership toolkit
- Education & Training: connect with Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice initiatives; connect with junior faculty interested in aging-related work; further develop aging educational opportunities in undergraduate programs and disciplines beyond health sciences
- Research: organize team to pursue interdisciplinary and collaborative grant opportunities; explore options to establish a shorter-term physical space; identify on-campus research partnership opportunities
Breakout groups also discussed possibilities for fellowship designations for each of the three focus areas.
“It was incredibly affirming to engage with faculty, staff, and students from diverse perspectives across campus, all committed to amplifying the university’s impact in the field of aging through research, education, and community partnerships,” said Kendall-Fields.
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