Human genome sequencing, older workers top press briefing agenda at GSA's Boston meeting

Several sessions designed to better inform reporters about issues affecting America's aging population have been scheduled for The Gerontological Society of America's upcoming 64th Annual Scientific Meeting. This five-day gathering will take place from November 18 to 22 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and John B. Hynes Veteran Memorial Convention Center. The events listed below will take place in rooms Hampton A & B at the Sheraton.

Luncheon Press Briefing: "Aging Means Business: Design for a New Age"

Saturday, November 19, noon to 1 p.m.

GSA is convening a day-long forum at the meeting that brings together business, design, and aging experts to share breakthrough ideas, innovations, and market strategies for success in the older adult consumer marketplace. This session will highlight some of the key issues on the conference's agenda. The speakers include Joseph F. Coughlin, PhD, founder and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab; Mary Furlong, EdD, president and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates; and Matthias Hollwich, SBA, principal of the architecture and concept design firm Hollwich Kushner and co-founder of the architectural social networking site Architizer.

Luncheon Press Briefing: "Left Behind — Older Workers in the Down Economy"

Sunday, November 20, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This session will feature Andrew Sum of Northeastern University, a widely cited expert on employment trends; Anthony Sarmiento, executive director of Senior Service America, Inc. (SSAI), which runs federally funded employment and training programs around the nation for low-income seniors ages 55-plus; and SSAI's senior researcher, Robert Harootyan, long one of the sharpest socioeconomic analysts on aging in Washington.

Press Roundtable with Fernando Torres-Gil, PhD

Sunday, November 20, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Torres-Gil is the associate dean of UCLA's School of Social Welfare and Public Policy and a former U.S. assistant secretary for aging. Reporters will get solid analysis of the new Super Committee, which is scheduled to deliver its budget recommendations (or not, if the partisans deadlock) on November 23. More broadly, he will discuss how issues like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Older Americans Act programs are apt to play out in the 2012 presidential election. Among his many hats at UCLA, he also heads the project on Latinos and Economic Security, which has focused on issues for Hispanic boomers.

Luncheon Press Briefing/Call-In: "Archon Genomics X PRIZE Presented by Medco: Advancing Longevity Research"

Monday, November 21, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Call-in: 888-299-4099 (U.S.), 866-682-1172 (Canada); 302-709-8337 (International toll)

Verbal passcode: VK11471

The Archon Genomics X PRIZE presented by Medco recently updated their $10 million competition challenging companies to sequence 100 whole human genomes in 30 days or less, with 98 percent accuracy and costing at most $1,000 per genome. The 100 whole human genomes will be donated from 100 centenarians from around the world, known as the Medco 100 Over 100. The global coalition formed to recruit the Medco 100 Over 100 will be formally announced at this briefing. Offsite reporters will be able to listen in by phone and ask questions. The speakers include Grant Campany, senior director of the Archon Genomics X PRIZE; Larry Kedes, MD, senior scientific advisor of the Archon Genomics X PRIZE; Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, director of Boston Medical Center's New England Centenarian Study.

Press Reception

Sunday, November 20, 5 to 7 p.m.

Join other reporters attending the conference for a wine and cheese networking reception and discuss emerging issues on the age beat. The group will likely head out for a Dutch-treat dinner afterward.

Complimentary press registration information and an online meeting planner are available at www.geron.org/press. Badges can be picked up in the Press Room (Hampton A & B) at the Sheraton.

Provided by The Gerontological Society of America