Dr Janet Fast
Dr Janet Fast is a professor in the Department of Human Ecology and Co-Director of the Research on Aging, Policies and Practice team at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada. She is a family economist with over 20 years research experience. Her current research interests include valuing the productive contributions older adults make to society and documenting the benefits of social participation and engagement on the health and well-being of adults with chronic illness or disabilities over the life course. Her publications include numerous journal articles; most recently she co-authored a chapter on Ageing, Disability and Participation in the edited book Rural Ageing: A Good Place to Grow Old? (2008). With funding from the Canadian Institute for Health Research, she currently leads a multidisciplinary team investigating the links between health and creative aging, focusing specifically on theatre as a pathway to healthy aging - a joint initiative that has explicit ties with the NDA Ages and Stages programme.