Brian de Vries, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator

Brian de Vries, Ph.D., is professor of gerontology at San Fran­cisco State University; he also holds adjunct professorships at the University of Alberta and Simon Fraser University. Dr. de Vries is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and past Board member of the American Society on Aging (ASA) and co-Chair of the LGBT Aging Issues Network constituent group. Dr. de Vries was appointed to the Institute of Medicine’s Board on the Health of Select Populations Committee authoring the recently released acclaimed book: The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding.   In addition, Dr. de Vries has edited five books, authored or co-authored approximately 100 journal articles and book chapters, and he has given over 150 presentations to local, national and international professional audiences on the social and psychological well-being of midlife and older LGBT persons, including end of life issues, concerns, and preparations.   

Gloria Gutman, Ph.D.
Co-Principal Investigator

Gloria Gutman developed the Gerontology Research Centre and Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and was director of both from 1982-2005.  She is currently a Research Associate and Professor Emerita at SFU. Dr Gutman has received many awards including the prestigious Rosalie Wolf Award presented by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2005), the Order of British Columbia (2010), an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario (2010) and a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal presented by the Canadian Association on Gerontology (2012). She is author/editor of 22 books and monographs, the most recent (with Andrew Sixsmith), Technologies for Active Aging (Springer, 2013). Her research interests include seniors’ housing, long term care, health promotion, seniors and emergency preparedness, gerontechnology, and prevention of elder abuse and neglect.  

Robert Beringer DSocSci

Research Associate

Robert Beringer completed the Doctor of Social Sciences Program at Royal Roads University in 2019. His doctoral research focused on older gay men living and aging in non-metropolitan communities in BC and was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Brian de Vries. His role in the Fostering End-of-Life Conversations, Community and Care among LGBT Older Adults project was concerned with the development of the British Columbia End-of-Life Resource Inventory, promoting the Vancouver LGBT Town Hall Meeting, and overseeing the development of this website. ORCID Profile.

Claire Robson, Ph.D. 
Research Associate

Claire Robson is lead artist for Quirk-e – the queer imaging & riting collective for elders. The collective, which has worked under her direction for the last eight years, has made many public shows and presentations, including a human library project and workshops for queer youth and youth leaders. Claire is a SSHRCC funded postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, studying arts-engaged community practices. A widely published writer of fiction, memoir, and poetry, Claire’s most recent book, Writing for Change, focuses upon the potential of collective memoir writing to effect social change.