On November 3, 2023, Dr. Paige Averett was invited to speak at UNC Greensboro (UNCG) as part of the Department of Psychology’s Annual Diversity Event. The topic of discussion was Aging Research in LGBTQ+ Communities, a sought after topic from students in the psychology program.
The event was held in two parts, a Research Talk and a Graduate Student Roundtable.
At the Research Talk, approximately 60 students and faculty were in attendance, extending outside psychology to persons from public health and gerontology. Dr. Averett began by sharing the state of LGBTQ+ aging research, providing an overview of the issues and knowledge base. She then presented a recent study of her own, concluding with, “how our knowledge will change given generational changes and specifically how researchers will have to adapt and study future generations.” This was followed by further practice and policy implications.
Regarding the experience, Dr. Averett stated, “It was stimulating experience for me as the audience was highly engaged and interested in the topic. There were many fantastic questions and the psychology department were warm and receptive hosts.” Looking forward, Dr. Averett indicated pursuing similar speaking roles at UNCG with the Gerontology Certificate Program in the spring.
