Developing Gerontological Expertise Among Higher Education Faculty

Recent manpower studies concluded that current professionals in various fields do not have adequate gerontology training to serve their elderly clients. Additionally, studies of gerontology faculty document the lack of formal preparation in gerontology, frequency of part‐time teaching in gerontology, and the lack of seniority of gerontology faculty. Approaches to developing the gerontological expertise of faculty from many disciplines are discussed and a regional model proposed. Faculty development needs to move beyond the introductory stages to facilitate the development of significant levels of gerontological expertise and program development.