Patricia Morton, PhD

What initially got you interested in studying gerontology?

My undergraduate professor Kyong Hee Chee introduced me to the life course perspective. I found it fascinating how patterns in later-life health and aging were not simply a function of proximal factors, but, rather, could be traced back to some of the earliest life stages. I also was intrigued by how contextual factors like historical time and place influenced patterns of population health, which resonated with me as I had been traveling during my twenties to other countries that experienced distinct historical moments. Those ideas helped me understand how the lives of individuals I had encountered during my travels were a function of broader social structures and historical time and place. Thus, learning about the life course and reflecting upon what I had observed sparked my interest in studying health and aging processes from a life course perspective. As I read more research on aging and life course, I knew I wanted to pursue a graduate degree with a gerontology focus and study with an advisor who specialized in that area.

What was your favorite experience in the CALC gerontology program?  What did you like about it?

In general, my favorite part of the gerontology program was learning about health and aging from a multidisciplinary perspective. The gerontology program enabled this not only through the classes I took and the faculty with whom I engaged, but also through the symposia. The CALC symposia were a consistent highlight each year in which I learned about my colleagues’ ongoing research as well as the research of gerontology scholars from other institutions. These symposia also provided graduate students with a unique opportunity to interact with gerontology experts during the annual event, an opportunity that I also was given when I attended the International Conference on Successful Aging at Yonsei University (another graduate school highlight). These interdisciplinary academic settings offered in-depth exposure to diverse ideas that shaped me as a scholar and my current career path. They gave me the tools to engage with a multidisciplinary audience, speak across disciplines, and develop my own interdisciplinary approach to studying health and aging. This has been invaluable at my current job at Wayne State University where I teach across two disciplines and engage with scholars from sociology, public health, and gerontology.

Who were your mentors at Purdue and how did they help you succeed? 

My primary mentor was Ken Ferraro. One of the best ways in which he helped me succeed was by helping me cultivate my own gerontological imagination, along with giving me the time and space to do so. Some of my most memorable experiences include discussing concepts and methods in health and aging in-depth, whether during our research group meetings or one-on-one advisor meetings, as well as critically thinking of unique ways to address these ideas. My dissertation committee also consisted of a wonderful group of scholars who guided my development as a life course scholar: Elliot Friedman, Sarah Mustillo, and Jill Suitor. Together, all four of these mentors helped me learn how to ask interesting research questions and how to answer those questions using fascinating methodological tools and theoretical frameworks. Their mentorship has continued to this day, and I find their help and support invaluable as I have transitioned to new roles within academia.

How has your interest in gerontology influenced or shaped your research agenda?  Your teaching focus?

My research reflects my immediate interest in the life course perspective and integrates both my training in sociology and gerontology to better understand health inequality from a life course perspective. My work primarily focuses on explicating how childhood conditions produce unequal opportunities and constraints that shape health and aging across the life course. A gerontological lens has been very helpful in elucidating how this multidimensional process unfolds over time. For instance, I have examined how behavioral, psychosocial, and biological mechanisms of early-life disadvantage work together to influence later-life health. The interdisciplinary community of gerontology has also informed my own work by challenging me to think more broadly about my research, to address conceptual and methodological issues surrounding life course research as well as the implications and translation aspects of my research.