Yung-Ping Chen, Professor Emeritus of Gerontology, Wins John S. Bickley Founder’s Award

The International Insurance Society (IIS) has announced that Yung-Ping Chen, professor emeritus of gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston is the 2012 winner of the prestigious John S. Bickley Founder’s Award.

The John S. Bickley Founder’s Award Gold Medal for Excellence recipient is elected by senior insurance executives and leading academicians, and honors individuals who have made a significant, lasting and recognized contribution to insurance thought, product, practice or education. “It is a great pleasure to honor Chen for his important contributions to our industry. His work on a wide range of concepts and programs, relating to economic security in retirement, has been truly ground-breaking,” says Bernhard Fink, IIS Honors Committee Chairman.

Yung-Ping Chen has had a distinguished career in academe and as an advisor to governments.  He is widely recognized for his work on economic security for the aged.  His contributions have influenced insurance product development and social insurance policy.  Chen is professor emeritus of gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he served as the inaugural holder of the Frank J. Manning Eminent Scholar's Chair in Gerontology from 1988 until his retirement in 2009. Since then, he is a fellow in the Gerontology Institute in the same university. A founding member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, he is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and a fellow in the World Demographic Association. A frequent contributor to scholarly and professional journals and to Congressional hearings since the early 1960s, Chen continues to be active after retiring from academe, presenting his research and views in high-profile presentations and publications.