Dr. Janice Keefe, Professor and Chair of the Department of Aging and Family Science, Lena Isabel Jodrey Chair in Gerontology, and Director of the Nova Scotia Centre on Aging at Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU), was recently presented with a Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI)'s Alumni Association. This is the highest honour presented by the association.
Photo courtesy of the University of Prince Edward Island
Dr. Keefe received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UPEI in 1984. Shortly after completing a Master of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology and a PhD in Family Relations and Human Development at University of Guelph, Dr. Keefe joined MSVU in 1990. The University has been lucky to have her as part of the MSVU community ever since. From 2002 to 2012, she was MSVU's first Canada Research Chair in Aging and Caregiver Policy.
UPEI's Alumni Association selected Dr. Keefe for this award in recognition of her dedication to the field of gerontology, research on healthy aging, and public policy leadership.
Dr. Keefe is one of Canada's leading researchers on aging, home care, long-term care and caregiving, and a well-known resource to municipal, provincial, and federal governments on these topics. Her work has informed policies that will encourage healthier aging and improve working conditions for long-term care staff. Her research also includes dementia care and rural aging.
Her resumé is beyond impressive. It includes securing numerous large research grants, being named Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Services and Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, as well as being elected this year as Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Gerontology. She is also the Vice-Chair of the European-Canada Scientific Advisory Board of the Joint Programming Initiative More Years Better Lives, and an active member of several organizations such as the Canadian Health Standards Organization Long-Term Care Services Technical Committee.
Photo courtesy of the University of Prince Edward Island
Dr. Keefe continues to share her knowledge and inspire the next generation through mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. She also supports their growth by supporting graduate entrance scholarships at MSVU in memory of her mother, Genevieve Keefe, and to a scholarship at UPEI in memory of her sister, Colleen Keefe Malone.
It goes without saying that this Distinguished Alumni Award is very well-deserved. Congratulations Dr. Keefe!
