News

Alison Hirschel was pleased to participate in and present at the 2026 University of Southern California Judith D. Tamkin International Symposium on Elder Abuse. On February 27th, Alison and her Co-Presenter, Lori Smetanka, Executive Director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care, kicked off a day of discussion on the state of nursing homes and the need for additional advocacy and research related to elder mistreatment in that setting. The Tamkin Symposium brings together researchers, practitioners, advocates, thought leaders, lawmakers, and other stakeholders to share findings, and strategize solutions that help and propel the field of elder justice.

While in Pasadena, Alison was also delighted to serve as a commentator at the Education Development Center's National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment conference. The Collaborative is designed to improve the identification, prevention, and management of elder abuse and offers a one year mentorship program that pairs young professionals with experts to complete projects focused on improving care for older adults.  Alison appreciated the opportunity  to learn more about these promising projects and to offer commentary on the mentees' presentations.

MEJI deeply appreciates the work of Dr. Laura Mosqueda and her colleagues at USC's Keck School of Medicine to support these conferences, foster innovative and interdisciplinary work on elder justice, and bring together professionals from around the world to address complex issues related to elder mistreatment. MEJI is pleased to be part of this promising and groundbreaking work.