Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics

 

Optimism and Kindness:
Ingredients for a Long and Healthy Life

Guest Speaker:  Laura Kubansky, PhD

20th Annual Thewlis Lecture

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 Tuesday, April 7, 2026
5:30 p.m. Reception, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Lecture
Edwards Hall, Kingston Campus

Join us for the 20th Annual Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics featuring Laura Kubansky, PhD, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Society and Health Laboratory at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As a social psychologist working in public health, Dr. Kubansky provides a unique perspective on aging and longevity research and will discuss her work on how personal attributes as optimism, gratitude, kindness, and positive outlook are related to longevity.

This event is free and open to the public.  Free parking available in Briar Lane Lot behind the Visitors Center. 

Registration is encouraged but not required.

Register

 

About the Speaker

Dr. Laura Kubansky is professor of social and behavioral sciences and director of the Society and Health Laboratory at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a sitting faculty member at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, and served as a founding director of both the JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program and the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard Chan School.

About the Thewlis Lecture:

Malford W. Thewlis, MD, a former resident of Wakefield, RI, was a pioneer in the field of geriatric medicine most widely known for co-founding the American Geriatrics Society in 1942 and his manuscript, The Care of the Aged: Geriatrics, which was first published in 1919 under the title, “Geriatrics: A Treatise on the Prevention and Treatment of Diseases of Old Age and the Care of the Aged.”   

In honor of Dr. Thewlis, URI established the Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics in 2006 to help raise awareness, enhance knowledge, and stimulate discussion about issues related to aging, longevity, and health care for older adults.

The event is held annually in the spring and is open to the public.

 

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