Erin Der-McLeod, 29, was named the winner of the Frances G. Frank Prize in Gerontology at her recent graduation from the Boston University Graduate School of Social Work.
Der-McLeod served as an intern at Beacon Hill Village during the past school year and worked with the demographics of downtown Boston to create a presentation, “Mapping for Social Work”, using such census data as population profiles to map older adults in the downtown neighborhoods. She found that residents ages 65 and older make up more than 20 percent of three census tracts in the downtown – a relatively high percentage, compared to other tracts.
Laura Connors, executive director at Beacon Hill Village, also received an award for excellence in field instruction for supervising Der-McLeod’s work.
Der-McLeod will spend some time on the Cape and then move back to southern California, where she will seek employment.