Age Boom Academy

The unprecedented increase in average life expectancy known as the longevity revolution means that a baby boomer turns 50 every 7.6 seconds. From Botox to Social Security, more stories on every beat have to account for the perils and promises of aging societies. The Age Boom Academy is an intensive week-long seminar designed to deepen journalists' understanding of how the aging of the world's population is affecting politics, the economy, and just about every other aspect of their beats.

The Academy Program

Academy Partners

The program was founded over a decade ago with seed funding from the New York Times Company Foundation. The foundation, while it has closed its doors last year, still leaves our program with a legacy and reputation directly related to the high caliber coverage of a wide range of aging and longevity topics across public affairs, economic, health and other realms of journalism. Accepted members of the 2010 Age Boom Academy cohort are officially recognized as “New York Times Fellows,” a much sought after designation for journalists.

The 2010 Academy will be made possible through support from the Atlantic Philanthropies, the American Federation for Aging Research, the Gerontological Society of America, the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, The LifeStar Institute, SeniorBridge, the Mill Park Foundation, Inc., the Ellison Medical Foundation, Atria Senior Living Group, Inc., and MetLife Foundation.

We are still confirming program details for our 2010 (June 7-11) Age Boom Academy topics and speakers. Below are examples from our tentative “A Year of Great Change” in the aging and longevity field themed 2010 program.  

“The Importance of Longevity,” Robert N. Butler, M.D., President and CEO of the International Longevity Center-USA

 “Retooling a Health Care Workforce,” John Rowe, M.D., Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

“Sirtuins and a Longer Life,” Leonard Guarente, Ph.D., Novartis Professor of Biology, Glenn Laboratory for the Science of Aging, MIT

“What’s New in the World of Centenarians,” Thomas Perls, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Founder/Director of the New England Centenarian Study

“Alzheimer’s Disease: Where Are We?” Richard Mayeux, M.D., Director of the Sergeivky Center, Columbia University Medical Center

“Assuring Basic Care of Older People,” Rosanne Leipzip, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair for Education, Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

“Global Aging and Public Health,” Linda Fried, M.D., M.P.H., Dean, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

“Coping With and Finding Solutions for Caregiving in America,” Eric Rackow, M.D., President and CEO of SeniorBridge

Application Process

Academy Alumni Testimonials

“At a time that longevity has become a huge national issue, the Age Boom Academy is the world’s best crash course on aging issues for journalists”
--Bill Neikirk, Chicago Tribune

“The Age Boom Academy provides a guided tour of the next frontier of science, a place where the answers are changing, but so are the questions.”
--Pat Duggan, KING-TV, NBC

“The ABA is an unparalleled opportunity to engage newsmakers and researchers looking into some of the most pressing issues related to the quality and duration of human life”
--Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer

“Being there is like getting a master’s degree in aging—in less than a week!”-
--Kay Harvey, St. Paul Pioneer Press

“A rich opportunity to learn from leaders in the field, to question them (and yourself) and to meet and share ideas with peers.”
--Jim Toedtman. AARP Bulletin

“...an enriching, intellectually stimulating week that will deepen and broaden my coverage of aging issues.”
--Marilyn Gardner, Christian Science Monitor