2016-2017 Marilyn E. Demorest Award for Faculty Advancement

Kevin Eckert, Professor and Chair, Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy and Director, Health Administration and Policy

For the past 30 years, Kevin Eckert has shared his time, expertise, and resources to foster faculty productivity and leadership and to support and grow collaborative, interdisciplinary research.

Eckert a strong advocate for faculty development, and his open approach to his research projects has provided new tenure track faculty members with valuable collaborative research experience on many high-profile National Institute of Health (NIH) grants. Under the responsibility as department chair, he worked with faculty members to ensure they could participate in workshops and trainings and present at national academic conferences. He also was responsible for securing student research assistants for each department faculty member to create learning and research opportunities for graduate students and to support faculty members in their growth as mentors and leaders at all points in their careers.

Eckert takes a multidimensional approach to mentorship that involves creating the atmosphere and connections for success. His support of professional development has led to a greater focus on leadership, resulting in many departmental faculty taking on roles as leaders across campus in areas such as university strategic planning, the Institutional Review Board, and the Research Council.

Eckert is a prominent scholar in the field of gerontology. He is co-author of Inside Assisted Living: The Search for Home (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009) and is co-PI on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study “The Subjective Experience of Diabetes among Urban Older Adults.” Most recently, he was elected to receive a 2017 Administrative Leadership Honor from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) for his exceptional efforts and decisions in support of gerontology and geriatrics education.

Eckert received a B.A. from Ursinus College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.