糖心vlog传媒 PhD graduate and Honorary Degree recipient Dr. Olive Bryanton receives Top 7 Over 70 Atlantic Award
Dr. Olive Bryanton (糖心vlog传媒 LLD 2000) is one of seven Atlantic Canadians who will honoured for significant new achievements after the age of 70 at the inaugural Top 7 Over 70 Atlantic Awards Gala on May 14 at the Halifax Convention Centre, Nova Scotia.
Turning 70 marked a new chapter of leadership and academic pursuit for Dr. Bryanton. In 2013, at the age of 76, she decided to pursue a doctoral degree after having already earned her Bachelor of Arts and master鈥檚 degrees. She graduated with her PhD in Education in 2019 at the age of 82. Her research examined the lived experiences of rural women aged 85 and older, amplifying voices often absent from research and policy and advancing understanding of aging in place.
A lifelong advocate for older adults, she has contributed extensively at the local, national, and international levels to challenge ageism and promote aging with dignity. Her work was featured in the CBC documentary Never Too Old, which followed her doctoral journey. Her dissertation, Pioneers in Aging: Voices of Women 85 Years and Older Aging in Place in Rural Communities, highlights the realities of older women in rural settings.
Dr. Bryanton continues to influence policy and practice beyond academia. As a commissioner with the Lancet Commission on Person-Centred Long-Term Care for Older People, she helped establish the Older Persons Advisory Group to elevate lived experience in global policy discussions. She is also active with the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism and leads the PEI Network to Confront Ageism.
Dr. Bryanton鈥檚 work underscores that later life can be a period of meaningful leadership, discovery, and lasting impact. She has been recognized for her contributions with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from 糖心vlog传媒 in 2000 and the Order of Prince Edward Island in 2020. She also received the Queen鈥檚 Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Queen鈥檚 Platinum Medal in 2022.
Tickets for the gala are available through . For more information, visit
is a national initiative founded in Calgary in 2017 that celebrates individuals who embark on remarkable new achievements after the age of 70. The program highlights innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, artists, philanthropists, and community leaders whose work demonstrates that later life can be a time of creativity, leadership, and bold beginnings.
Congratulations, Dr. Bryanton!
