Thomas Fairchild, PhD, director of Special Projects on Aging at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, was named a fellow in gerontology and geriatrics education by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE).

Dr. Fairchild joined the health science center in 1997 as the Director of Special Projects on Aging. He also serves as an associate professor of health management and policy in the School of Public Health. Prior to joining the health science center, Dr. Fairchild served as the longtime director of the Center for the Studies of Aging at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Dr. Fairchild’s professional memberships include the American College of Healthcare Administrators, the Assisted Living Federation of America, and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, which presented him with a Distinguished Service Award. He is a member of numerous national, state and local advisory councils, including the Tarrant County Commission on Aging and the United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County Senior Way Impact Council.

He has been awarded several grants for his research on aging from a variety of agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

The AGHE Fellowship in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education recognizes outstanding leadership in gerontology/geriatrics education by established scholars and educators, according to the AGHE.

Qualifications include outstanding achievement in teaching, scholarship and research on educational issues, influential research publications or theorhetical contributions used in gerontology/geriatric education and training, or leadership in administration and funding of gerontology/geriatrics educational programs, including the development of new programs.

Fellowship status is open to individuals with well-established careers of achievement in gerontology/geriatrics education who are employed by an AGHE member institution.

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