Phyllis Mutschler, Ph.D. '85, once a student of Louis Lowy, is now one of two 2006 recipients of the award that bears his name. The award was given by the Massachusetts Gerontology Association (MGA), an organization that Lowy founded. Dr. Mutschler, Adjunct Associate Professor at Heller, obtained her M.S.S.S. at Boston University, where Lowy was one of her teachers.

"The nominations for Phyllis recognized her ability to blend research and service delivery, which is the mission of MGA. She has a nice combination of exactly what we [at MGA] are doing," commented Sandra Albright, President of the Massachusetts Gerontology Association.

Dr. Mutschler is an authority on the economic status of older women, issues related to caregiving, and the "early retirement trend." Her current research projects include assessing the effectiveness of using web sites to give health information to elders, their caregivers, and their care managers, and a study of financial security among women who have been retired for ten years.

"This award means a lot to me since Louis Lowy was the reason I became interested in aging policy," said Dr. Mutschler. "He was a great teacher."