Regenstrief Institute’s Susan Hickman, PhD, has been elected as a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Dr. Hickman will be inducted on November 9 into the social research, policy and practice section of the GSA College of Fellows during the society’s 2023 annual scientific meeting.
In addition to being director and a research scientist with the IU Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute, Dr. Hickman is a professor at Indiana University School of Nursing, the Pettinga Chair in Aging Research with the Indiana University School of Medicine and the co-director of the IUPUI Research in Palliative and End-of-Life Communicating and Training (RESPECT) Signature Center.
She is nationally recognized for her work on advance care planning to help ensure that patients’ end-of-life treatment preferences are known and honored as well as for her work translating research into policy. Dr. Hickman is a founding member of the National Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm as well as current chair of the National POLST Research and Quality Assurance Committee. She has spent nearly two decades studying the effect of the POLST model on end-of-life care and her research findings are used to support programs based on the model across the country. In Indiana, she led the successful campaign to pass legislation authorizing the creation of Indiana’s version of the POLST form.
Fellow status is a peer-recognized distinction awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of gerontology and signifies the highest category of GSA membership. This esteemed designation is conferred at different stages in a research scientist’s career and is based on a wide array of accomplishments. Including research, teaching, administrative roles, public service, professional practice and noteworthy engagement within the Society. Fellows are selected from a broad spectrum of GSA’s membership groups.
GSA is the nation’s oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the society is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers and the general public. GSA’s structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society.
About Susan Hickman, PhD
Dr. Susan Hickman is a clinical geropsychologist focused on optimizing the quality of life for older adults through improved decision-making and communication about treatment preferences. Her area of expertise is in palliative care and advance care planning. Dr. Hickman serves as principal investigator as well as co-investigator on multiple externally funded projects related to advance care planning for older adults, primarily in the nursing facility setting.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform clinical practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
