SRPH Dr. Hawes appointed to Texas, national AARP committees

(COLLEGE STATION, TX) — Catherine Hawes, Ph.D., Regents Professor in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, has been appointed to both the National Policy Council (NPC) of the AARP and the Texas AARP Executive Committee.

The AARP operates as a non-profit, nonpartisan advocate for people age 50 and over and is among the most powerful advocacy groups in the United States with more than 38 million members.

Dr. Hawes is a professor of health policy and management in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health and directs the school’s Program on Aging and Long-Term Care Policy. Active in research, teaching and policymaking in long-term care for more than 30 years, she is recognized as among the top 0.5 percent of researchers worldwide based on citations to her research by others.

Her responsibilities with AARP include hosting national issue forums, reviewing polling research, intensive examination of policy trends/analyses with other NPC members and making recommendations to the organization’s board of directors.

“For someone who has devoted her research and teaching career to improving long-term care and health care access and quality, it is an incredible honor and opportunity to be named to the National Policy Council of AARP, one of the largest membership organizations in the world,” Dr. Hawes said. “It is particularly exciting as AARP pursues the ‘Divided We Fail’ campaign with more than 80 other organizations to encourage Congress and presidential candidates to join in a bipartisan effort to overcome gridlock and provide action and answers on health care and financial security for all Americans.”

The NPC is a 28-member policy analysis and advisory board to the AARP Board of Directors on public policy issues. It leads efforts to integrate member and public opinion with careful policy analysis.