ROBERT H. BINSTOCK

Professor of Aging, Health, and Society
Case Western Reserve University

Robert H. Binstock is Professor of Aging, Health, and Society, at Case Western Reserve University. His primary appointment is in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, in the School of Medicine. He holds secondary appointments as Professor in the departments of Bioethics, Medicine, Political Science, Sociology, and in the School of Nursing.

A former president of the Gerontological Society of America, Dr. Binstock has served as director of a White House Task Force on Older Americans, and as chairman and member of a number of advisory panels to the United States government, state and local governments, and foundations. He is also a former Chair of the Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures on about twenty occasions.

Professor Binstock is the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters; most of them deal with the politics and policies affecting aging. His 23 books include The Fountain of Youth: Cultural, Scientific, and Ethical Perspectives on a Biomedical Goal (2004), The Lost Art of Caring: A Challenge to Health Professionals, Families, Communities, and Society (2001); and five editions of the Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (the most recent published in 2001). Among the honors he has received for contributions to gerontology and the well-being of older persons are the Kent and the Brookdale Awards from the Gerontological Society of America; the Key Award from the American Public Health Association; the American Society on Aging Award; and the Arthur S. Flemming Award from the National Association of State Units on Aging.

He received his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Harvard University.