P rof. Stephen Katz has been a professor of Sociology at Trent University since 1989, having received his M.A. in Anthropology from McGill University and a Ph.D in Sociology from York University. He is the author of three books and numerous book chapters and articles in the fields of aging and cultural studies in journals such as Generations, Journal of Aging Studies, Body & Society, History of the Human Sciences, and Journal of Women and Aging. His 1996 book Disciplining Old Age: The Formation of Gerontological Knowledge has been praised by leading international scholars in gerontology as a classic text dealing with social theory and aging. His book Cultural Aging: Life Course, Lifestyle, and Senior Worlds has been received with international acclaim and explores themes such as imagining the life span, artistic creativity and old age, today’s obsession with activity and aging, the commercialization of senior culture, and the significance of retirement communities in Florida and Arizona, amongst other topics. Prof. Katz has also had the great benefit of co-authoring several articles with Trent colleague and sociologist Prof. Barbara L. Marshall, on aging, pharmaceutical expertise, sexuality and enhancement. In 2009 he was very honoured to receive the prestigious Trent University Distinguished Research Award for his work on aging and critical gerontology. Prof. Katz's current research involves a critique of the functional aging body and cognitive culture, with a focus on memory, dementia and the aging brain. Of particular interest is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a recent problem and disease category that involves geriatric care, neuroscientific research and pharmacological advances. Since MCI can be a predictor of dementia, it has become a serious issue, despite the uncertainty which surrounds it. This past year, he has been awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) grant, along with two Trent colleagues (Professors Peri Ballantyne and Kevin Peters), to look at the public’s beliefs, perceptions and knowledge regarding MCI. Specifically, they plan to do a theoretical and historical examination of the memory sciences and the development of MCI as a disease category, an analysis of the psychological and clinical testing and development of memory-drug hypotheses and products, and a sociological qualitative investigation, through focus groups and interviews with older adults, caregivers and professionals, to discover the meaning, experiences, attitudes and consequences of cognitive impairment and its treatments in everyday contexts. The research will also discuss the relevant ethical controversies which have arisen around enhancement interventions aimed at treating memory loss, with an overall goal to produce better ways of understanding MCI that expand beyond the disease model.
One aspect of Prof. Katz's research career which he has always enjoyed and thinks is an important aspect of any academic’s job is communicating research and ideas through appearances in conferences, community talks, on public radio, in magazines, and in newspapers ranging. Hence, he has had the good fortune of being able to discuss his work through interviews and engagement with the public audiences in several such forums.
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