Wichita State University: Aging Studies

05/09/2025

📸 Highlights from the 2025 Kansas Governor’s Public Health Conference!

In the first photo, Dr. Andy Sharma (PHS Professor), Aaron Davis (Presenter, WSU CEI), and Damian Foster (PHS Student) kick off the session “Public Health in the Age of AI – Vision, Action, Policy” 💡

In the second, PHS Chair Dr. Nikki Keene Woods is pictured with Amelia Earhart 🐇—an emotional support rabbit bringing comfort to Veterans in Kansas.

Also featured: Presenter and PHS HM Alumna Maria Tores and PHS HM Student Madisyn Sampson lead an engaging “Safe Sleep Showdown” session, promoting awareness and safe practices for infant care. 🛏️👶

With 30+ sessions on health equity, leadership, safety & more—this conference is building a healthier Kansas, one connection at a time! 🌻💬

05/09/2025

📸 Highlights from the 2025 Kansas Governor’s Public Health Conference!

In the first photo, Dr. Andy Sharma (PHS Professor), Aaron Davis (Presenter, WSU CEI), and Damian Foster (PHS Student) kick off the session “Public Health in the Age of AI – Vision, Action, Policy” 🤖💡

In the second, PHS Chair Dr. Nikki Keene Woods is pictured with Amelia Earhart 🐇—an emotional support rabbit bringing comfort to Veterans in Kansas.

Also featured: Presenter and PHS HM Alumna Maria Tores and PHS HM Student Madisyn Sampson lead an engaging “Safe Sleep Showdown” session, promoting awareness and safe practices for infant care. 🛏️👶

This year’s conference brings together national speakers, state leaders, and public health professionals across 30+ sessions covering health equity, substance use, leadership, and more—uniting for a healthier Kansas. 💪🌻

04/30/2025

⚡Big shout out to our Aging Studies and Health Administration grad students who rocked the KAHCE (Kansas Association of Health Care Executives) Conference last week! 📝

🎉 From running registration like pros to making meaningful connections with healthcare leaders, they showed up, stood out, and made us proud. Here’s to growing networks and building the future of healthcare! 🤝💼

04/05/2025

Don’t miss this chance to build connections and gain insights into the healthcare industry! Connect with top professionals like Laurie Labarca, Susan Runyan, Denise Vann, and more! See you there!🎉
RSVP now! phsconnectmixer2025.eventbrite.com

03/31/2025

Calling all students, alumni, and industry professionals! Join us for an exclusive PHS Connect Mixer! Enjoy an afternoon of networking, excellent conversation, and refreshments! 🎉 Next week! April 10th at the RSC, 4-6pm
RSVP NOW: https://ow.ly/6k6n50VrNbF

12/13/2024

Young @ Heart is an inspiring group of musicians who believe you are never too old to challenge yourself, learn new songs, and entertain. There is a virtual performance on the horizon worth checking out if you are interested in a little joy this holiday season. And watch their timeless 2008 documentary, Young @ Heart, for a beautiful reminder that aging can be positive, even among the challenges. Students in PHS 100 engage with the documentary as an assignment, reflections of their experience watching this group prove new perspectives are gained on what it means to age.

Click on "Get tickets now" to: 1. Make a monthly donation to Young@Heart and become a member of our Official Fan Club, or 2. Support this virtual show with a one-time donation

11/20/2024

Fourth time on this journey, but the FIRST time we've enjoyed the intergenerational experience on campus. An employee in the Digital Research & Transformation Hub sat down with me during our third session. He remarked how cool it has been to see students really engaged and listening to the older adults as he's walked through the space during our sessions - I couldn't agree more. And that's what connecting generations is all about.

Enjoy the view he's had plus a few student snapshots along the way.

A glimpse inside the international project happening on Wichita State's campus.

10/25/2024

This is a great career opportunity for an MA in Aging Studies graduate in Sedgwick County!

62 Aging Services jobs available in Wichita, KS on Indeed.com. Apply to Direct Support Professional, Server, Customer Service Representative and more!

10/17/2024

Earlier this fall, the CEO of Kansas Adult Care Executives (KACE) invited PHS graduate students to attend the KACE Convention in Wichita. Viet Le, a PHS graduate student who is focusing on senior living and health administration took advantage of this opportunity. PHS looks forward to future partnership opportunities with KACE in preparing the next generation of healthcare leaders in long-term care. Here is what Viet had to say about the experience:

"This conference provides a much-needed resource for networking and professional development for professionals that are looking into a career with the aging community and those interested in being Administrators of LTC facilities. There were so many vendors and employers to visit, as well as many other professionals in that field to talk to and learn from. This would be something I would attend again, and I think would benefit those in aging studies and the AIT certificate courses to be able to participate in in the future."

10/03/2024

Ageism awareness is a particular focus of research across the aging studies program. Learn more about ageism and help build awareness. More awareness = better outcomes, including for your future self! Afterall, we are all aging.

📣 We're just ONE WEEK away from Ageism Awareness Day!📣

How are you working to challenge ageist attitudes in your daily life or workplace? Now is the time to and actively work toward creating an inclusive society for people of all ages.

Explore resources on our website and join the movement to : https://asaging.org/ageism-awareness

Be the change your community needs to reshape perceptions of aging!

10/01/2024

Did you know Aging Studies is active in the community?? Freshmen enrolled in the first-year seminar Connecting Generations, engage in an intergenerational project called Sharing Life Stories with Shockers. Check out the experience over the past three years!

A highlight of the intergenerational project that a freshmen first-year seminar at Wichita State University engages in throughout the course of a semester. T...

03/08/2024

Bao Nhu To, junior in biology and health science, presented “Microbial Survival and Partitioning in Layered Ices Relevant to Mars” at the 22nd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Manhattan, Kansas. This event offers a platform for students, faculty, and researchers to share their scientific work, promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange. Under faculty mentorship, students presented posters and gave oral presentations, showcasing a diverse array of research projects.

https://ow.ly/e65I50QO1t5

March 6, 2024 — Four undergraduate students from Wichita State University were among the 18 students recognized at the 22nd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Manhattan, Kansas.