Elaine Wethington
Elaine Wethington, professor of human development, sociology and gerontology in medicine, and associate director of the BCTR, was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society.
Wethington is recognized for her contributions to medical sociology, focusing on the social aspects of physical and mental illnesses, their epidemiology and rigorous measurement, and for making her findings translatable to diverse audiences, including patients and the public.
Her research focuses on social relationships and isolation among older adults and the role of stressful life events in affecting mental and physical health across the life course. She also conducted ground-breaking research on developing measures of stressor exposure throughout her career.
“I am thrilled to have earned this prestigious recognition for my work in translational research to improve health and well-being,” Wethington said. “This is not something I could have done on my own, and I am grateful for the support of Cornell’s Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and its directors since 1993.”
Wethington is one of nine Cornell faculty members and 416 researchers across the world who were elected this year to honor their efforts to advance research and its applications to benefit humankind. Wethington and the other new fellows will be inducted into the association at its annual meeting on February 16 in Washington D.C.
