Aging Initiatives & Programs

The School of Social Work is committed to developing professionals and supporting agencies to serve older adults.

The University’s location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and Southwestern Pennsylvania provides a rich environment for learning about older adults and their needs. Allegheny County is one of the oldest counties in the United States and has over 200 organizations and agencies which provide services to older adults.

News
 

Winners of 2026 Aging and Gerontology Paper Awards

Thanks to a generous donor,  one MSW and one BASW paper offering Insights on Aging and Gerontology are being recognized with an award.  The BASW awardee is Zoe Correale, who graduated this term, with a paper entitled “Geriatric Psychiatry Patient Discharge: Examining Barriers to discharge of Older Adults” and the MSW awardee is Keran Zheng with a paper entitled “Cumulative Adversity and Resilience: Older Asian Immigrants with Historical Trauma.”  Ms. Zheng has completed her first year in the MSW Program and is a research assistant in Dr. Quinton Cotton’s GLOW Lab.  Many thanks and congratulations to all the BASW and MSW students who submitted wonderful papers.  We want to thank the faculty (current and retired) and alumni volunteers who reviewed the papers.  

The call for papers will go out again in Spring 2027.

Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh

Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh, an initiative by Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging and Pitt School of Social Work, is bringing generations together to make the Pittsburgh region more inclusive and respectful of all ages.

Hartford Aging Initiatives

The Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education is a unique educational program designed to enhance both direct practice and leadership skills in gerontology. Program participation will enable social work students to become highly skilled practitioners.

Geriatric Teaching Materials

Faculty, field instructors and students may use the geriatric teaching materials for instruction and project development.

Certificate in Gerontology

The goals of the Gerontology Certificate program are to enhance students’ understanding of the aging process and to provide them with the skills relevant to practice with and/or on behalf of the elderly and their family members.

Aging in Place With Pets

For older people, pets are family that help to reduce social isolation, create routines and give purpose. This initiative aims to help older individuals facing the financial concerns of caring for a pet on a fixed income and/or while dealing with health challenges.

Other Fellowship Opportunities

Numerous other fellowship opportunities are available in the field of geriatrics.