Dr. Evelyn Torton Beck has been selected as an Alum Research Fellow in the Creative Longevity and Wisdom Initiative at the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA. Dr. Beck, who holds dual PhD 's in Clinical Psychology and Comparative Literature, specializes in aging, creativity, and the healing power of the arts. She has offered individual and group therapy to elderly patients, and also has done poetry therapy and currently, the dance.

Presently Professor Emerita of Women's Studies at the University of Maryland-College Park, she believes that there needs to be better understanding of "the disparity between chronological age and 'felt, internal age' and its significance to the mind/body/spirit connection."

She also teaches a form of dance called "Sacred Circle Dancing" to a variety of groups, including circles of elders. These dances have roots in traditional dances from around the world and because they are meditative, they offer a way of integrating mind, body, and spirit, creating a sense of harmony and balance. Many dancers are women aged 65 to over 80. She is continuing her research by interviewing dance participants to explore how they experience this practice and to interrogate the ways in which this form of dancing helps to build community at the same time that it is of value to the individual.

Dr. Beck has published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and anthologies and will continue her research as part of the Creative Longevity and Wisdom Initiative at the Fielding Graduate University.