The BSG celebrates this year its 50th Annual Conference 7-9 July 2021. Professor Shereen Hussein was invited to give a keynote speech at the Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA) Pre-Conference Event‘Futures of gerontology, future gerontologists: Building leadership and research capacity for BSG 2046?’ on the 6th July 2021. In her keynote speech, Professor Hussein spoke of the emergent opportunities and challenges for British gerontologists within a global context. She presented a case of a dynamical context for gerontology research were ageing, migration, mobility and socio-economic factors interact to produce a diverse spectrum of experiences, aspirations and needs for individuals and societies.
Her talk shed light on global differences in the political, policy and practice responses to population ageing and implications on the wellbeing of older people. There is a great need for gerontologists to examine concepts and definitions of ageing, including ageism and healthy ageing, with diverse and multi-disciplinary approaches to capture the nuances and inequalities embedded within individuals and societal norms and expectations. A framework of social sustainability, including sustainable ageing, would help shape future gerontological research. Such a framework should embrace multi-directional learning from low- and middle-income countries to high-income countries and vice versa. This is particularly useful in shaping care structures and the increasing importance of social capital and care communities.
SHussein-BSGFounder and Director
Shereen Husseinis a Health and Social Care Policy professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), United Kingdom.
Shereen Founded the MENARAH Network in 2019, through an initial grant from the Global Challenge Research Fund, UKRI. She is a medical demographer with expertise in ageing, family dynamics, migration and long-term care systems. Shereen regularly collaborates with the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the World Bank in policy and research focused on ageing in the Middle East and North Africa Region.
Shereen received her undergraduate degree in statistics and a postgraduate degree in computer science at Cairo University. She completed an MSc in medical demography at the London School of Hygiene and a PhD in quantitative demography and population studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom.