KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� March 9, 2026 鈥� What鈥檚 the secret to living a long, healthy life? Laura Kubzansky, professor of social and behavioral science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, will share her thoughts on the subject during the on Tuesday, April 7 from 6-7 p.m. in Edwards Auditorium on 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Kingston Campus.
The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be preceded by light refreshments at 5:30 p.m. The audience will have an opportunity to ask Kubzansky questions following her lecture. but not required.
This is the 20th anniversary of the lecture series, which is presented each spring by the at the 溏心vlog免费B站.
“We are thrilled that the Thewlis Lecture has been so successful for so long in bringing attention to issues of aging and older adults and promoting an understanding of the many different dimensions of growing older,” said Phillip Clark, program director of the Center.
Each year, a different topic is chosen for the lecture. Topics have included health, housing and social services, technology, international issues, successful aging, and many others.
鈥淲e make an effort to show how every discipline or field has something to contribute to the understanding of growing older,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淲e also work hard to make the lecture a truly community-based one, which means scientifically or practice-based, but not so technical that the content cannot be understood by the average person.鈥�
Kubzansky鈥檚 lecture, titled, 鈥淥ptimism and Kindness: Ingredients for a Long and Healthy Life,鈥� will connect how a positive outlook relates to living a long and fulfilling life. The Harvard professor has had many peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals on the role of psychological and social factors in health, with a focus on stress and positive psychological assets, including emotional well-being. She also conducts research on whether stress, emotion, and other psychological factors are pathways underlying social disparities in health.
鈥淭here is research to suggest kindness to other people and optimism, such as being future oriented and expecting good things can happen, can improve your health,鈥� said Kubzansky. 鈥淭here are positive experiences that don鈥檛 simply signal less stress but confer health benefits above and beyond simply indicating someone might be less stressed.鈥�
As a Harvard graduate, Clark became familiar with Kubzansky’s work last summer through the University鈥檚 alumni program.
鈥淗er research sounded intriguing in its relevance to personal traits or activities that we all can benefit from in our own lives,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淚t also highlights the positive aspects of growing older that challenge the pervasive, negative ageist stereotypes of older adults.鈥�
The Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics was established at 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2006 to raise awareness, enhance knowledge, and stimulate discussion about issues related to aging, longevity, and health care for older adults. The annual lecture is named for Dr. Malford W. Thewlis, a former resident of Wakefield, Rhode Island, who was a pioneer in geriatric medicine, having co-founded the American Geriatrics Society in 1942.