Dennis Kodner of Hunter College Appointed to the White House Conference on Aging

Date: April 22, 2005
Contact: Meredith Halpern (meredith.halpern@hunter.cuny.edu)
Phone: (212) 772-4068

(New York, NY) - April 2 2 , 2005 - Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) today announced her appointment of Dennis L. Kodner, Executive Director of the Hunter College Brookdale Center on Aging, to the White House Conference on Aging delegation, noting his extensive research and positive initiatives in the field of gerontology as making him eminently qualified.

The 2005 White House Conference on Aging is scheduled to take place from October 23 to October 26, 2005, in Washington D.C. The conference will be the fifth of its kind and is held once every decade. The purpose of the conference is to generate and report policy recommendations to the President and Congress in helping to guide national policy towards the aging and elderly.

Dr. Kodner is a widely respected gerontologist, known for his contributions to the field of home and community based long-term care and for devising innovative programs for the elderly. He is currently a Professor of Urban Public Health at Hunter College and the Rose Dobrof Executive Director of the Hunter College Brookdale Center on Aging. In addition to his academic and research experience, Dr. Kodner has authored numerous publications and has served as an advisor to many governmental and non-governmental organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Kodner was the principal architect and first director of Elder Plan, an innovative social HMO for the elderly. He co-chaired the 5 th International Conference on Long Term Case Management. In 2001, Dr. Kodner co-founded DLK Care Strategies, an international consulting firm specializing in elder care planning and research.

"Dr. Kodner will bring an extremely valuable perspective to The White House Conference on Aging," said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. "At a time when healthcare and retirement services for the nation's seniors are becoming more and more important and complex, Dr Kodner is an ideal choice to help develop effective solutions that will improve the well-being of the aging in America."

Congresswoman Maloney underscored the importance of Dr. Kodner's familiarity with New York's own complex elderly care issues as an asset to the conference, saying, "As a gerontologist who has been a key player in developing and working with New York's elderly care system, Dr. Kodner will be a great representative for New York seniors in these deliberations."

"I am honored to be Representative Maloney's selection to attend the 2005 WHCoA," said Dr. Kodner. "I hope to add my voice to the emerging debates on Social Security, Medicare and the need for a national long-term care program. With the first wave of baby boomers preparing for retirement, this year's conference provides an especially important opportunity to take a fresh look at aging and how to better the lives of older Americans."

About Hunter
With a highly diverse student population of more than 20,000, Hunter is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system and the first choice among all CUNY applicants. Founded in 1870, the College offers more than 170 undergraduate and graduate programs. Hunter is noted for its professional schools in education, health sciences, nursing and social work, as well as its excellence in the liberal arts. Heralded as the "Crown Jewel of CUNY" by The Princeton Review, Hunter College has a distinguished reputation for nurturing talented minority scientists and meeting the challenge of providing high-quality science education in the 21st century. The College also oversees the Hunter College Campus Schools serving gifted and talented students, preschool through grade 12. For more information about Hunter College, please visit our Web site at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu.

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