2026 GEORGIA J. ANETZBERGER AWARDEES
The Georgia J. Anetzberger Award recognizes individuals who have produced, or demonstrated the potential to produce, excellence in research, policy, and/or practice in the field of elder abuse.
Erica Wood, JDÂ has had a profound impact on the field of elder maltreatment. She has led pioneering practice, research, and policy initiatives in adult guardianship, health and financial decision-making, less restrictive alternatives, legal services delivery, and access to courts, among other areas. Erica has advanced the rights and liberties of vulnerable older adults nationwide. Her distinguished tenure with the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, leadership on WINGS and the Guardianship Summit, and consequential national research studies, have improved the landscape of elder justice.
Rachel Tate, LCSWÂ has led groundbreaking practice innovations as the vice-president of Ombudsman Services at WISE & Healthy Aging. With oversight of the Long-term care Ombudsman Program in Los Angeles County, she is an educator, trainer, role model, and leader, who has paved the path for many in this arena to better serve older adults in long-term care. Rachel spearheaded the creation of the first multidisciplinary team dedicated to addressing systemic improvement in long-term care facilities and has contributed to research initiatives in long-term care facilities. In the wake of the Eaton Canyon fire, Rachel marshalled community efforts to provide shelter, food, and necessities for residents who were evacuated from their facilities. She has improved the lives and outcomes of numerous older adults.
2026 Tamkin Scholars
The Tamkin Scholar Award is intended to stimulate interest in elder abuse research and facilitate attendance at the Symposium.
Louis To is a registered social worker and a final-year PhD candidate at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His doctoral research explores the application of Motivational Interviewing in elder abuse victims. With over a decade of experience in social work practice, research, and teaching, Louis has supported diverse populations—from children and youth to older adults. In recent years, he has delivered training sessions to social welfare and healthcare professionals to promote evidence-based approaches and raise awareness of elder abuse. Looking ahead, he is interested in examining how emerging technologies—such as social robots and generative AI—can be integrated into elder abuse prevention and intervention. Fluent in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, Louis seeks to contribute to culturally informed and collaborative strategies that safeguard the well-being and dignity of older adults.
Mara Rosenberg, MD, MCR is a geriatrician and current T32 Clinical Research Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. She completed her medical school training at Oregon Health & Science University, internal medicine residency at Legacy Health in Portland, and her geriatrics fellowship at UCSF.  Dr. Rosenberg’s prior research has leveraged large, national, survey-based databases to explore the needs and stressors of family caregivers and to characterize the relationship of sensory impairments with elder mistreatment risk. She is particularly interested in improving elder mistreatment identification and prevention efforts across the healthcare system, with a focus on elder neglect and family caregiving interventions.
2026 Tamkin Scholars - Honorable Mentions
Ruthann Froberg, MPA is a second–year Ph.D. student in the Human Development and Family Science program at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include lifespan risk and protective factors for older adults experiencing elder mistreatment, elder mistreatment screening practicesin clinical settings, and approaches to assessing sexual consent capacity for people living with dementia. Ruthann is also a key member of Education Development Center’s National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment team. Her work appears in journals such as Academic Emergency Medicine, Health Policy and Economics, Innovation in Aging, and International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. She is a frequent presenter at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting and holds an MPA and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky and a BS in Chemistry and Public Health from Emory & Henry University.
Peggy Jo Archer is the Director of the Elder Justice Project at the International Association for Indigenous Aging. Â She has dedicated her career to violence prevention, beginning in 2007 with a focus on power-based violence. Peggy Jo has spearheaded community-based prevention programs and developed expertise in mobilizing communities to address violence, fostering collaboration across diverse fields.
She has extensive experience supporting both tribal and non-tribal Adult Protective Services (APS) professionals and programs. Currently, she leads the first tribal APS working group, bringing together over 150 APS professionals from tribal nations and state agencies to enhance collaboration and improve services. Peggy Jo has overseen federally funded initiatives, including the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative (NIEJI) at the University of North Dakota and the Native American Elder Justice Initiative National Resource Center (NAEJI). As a knowledgeable and culturally informed resource on aging issues for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, she is deeply committed to combating elder abuse and advancing justice for Indigenous elders.Â
