Greetings from the Editor

Dear Journal of Women & Aging Readers and Contributors,

I hope you and yours are all in good health. I was honored and humbled to take on the role of Editor for this meaningful Journal this past February 2021. Along with Drs. Katherine Fiori and Joyce Weil, Associate Editors, and Ms. Megan Byers, Editorial Assistant, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with incredible editorial board members, authors, and peer reviewers on sharing the state of the science on women and aging with our academic and practitioner colleagues and beyond. The Journal’s updated aim is လto provide researchers, educators, and practitioners with a comprehensive guide to the experiences facing women as they age, including research on gender, sexuality, and the life course.”

I have been thinking about how I first became involved with the Journal. Over five years ago, Dr. Sarah Laditka, Editorial Board Member, introduced me to Dr. Dianne Garner, Founding Editor, who immediately reached out to me and invited me to join the team of reviewers. Dr. Garner was gracious and thoughtful and always wanted to learn from others. In 2018, Dr. Francine Conway, Editor, kindly invited Kate, Joyce, and me to take on associate editor roles, and she mentored us as we embarked on guest editing special issues. These have been such rewarding experiences and we are grateful to Drs. Garner and Conway for their mentorship and support.

I was very saddened to learn that Dr Dianne Garner, 30-year Editor of the Journal of Women & Aging, passed away in June 2020. I am sharing the beautiful, published obituary and tribute to Dr. Garner and we are planning to produce a special issue in her honor. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldtribune/obituary.aspx?n=dianne-garner&pid=196394829&fhid=31065.

For now, I would like to share two tributes to Dr. Garner from Editorial Board Members:

Dr. J. Dianne Garner was a wonderful mentor to me for nearly 25 years. It was a pleasure to work with Dianne in her roles as a researcher and as the Editor of the Journal of Women & Aging. Dianne was an important and strong advocate for older women. I was honored to be a pre-publication reviewer for her pathbreaking book, “Fundamentals of Feminist Gerontology,” published in 2000, which set the standard for the field. Dianne also graciously invited me to guest-edit a special double volume of the Journal of Women & Aging, Health Expectations for Older Women: International Perspectives, which was also published as a book in 2002. Dianne was generous in sharing her wisdom, which helped me greatly. I will always be inspired by Dianne’s dedication to promoting women in research, and to improving the lives of older women. – Dr. Sarah Laditka, Professor Emerita, Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Dr. Dianne Garner was a true visionary for women of all ages, with special attention to the lives of older women. She saw clearly how the database on the needs of older women needed attention and she worked diligently to fill this knowledge gap. Dr. Garner inspired many to focus their research on improving the lives of present and future generations of women. She was a nationally recognized and respected social worker, author, researcher, and editor of the Journal of Women & Aging for 30 years. Because of Dr. Garner, the Journal of Women & Aging continues to educate women and men of all ages about the issues, needs, challenges, and strengths of women across the life course with attention to their later years. Rest in Peace, Dr. Garner. Your work will live on. – Dr. Colette Browne, Emerita Richard S. and T. Rose Takasaki Professor in Social Policy, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, University of Hawaii

To all – I wish you continued good health and safety. Thank you for your continued support of the Journal of Women & Aging. Please reach out to me anytime with comments and ideas.

With gratitude,