BOSTON – Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) has been named once again as one of the Top Places to Work in Massachusetts in the 11th annual employee-based survey project from The Boston Globe. The Top Places to Work 2018 issue was published online on the night of November 15 and will appear in The Boston Globe Magazine on November 18.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them the best—their employees. The survey measures employee opinions about their company’s direction, execution, connection, management, work, pay and benefits, and engagement. The employers are placed into one of four groups: small, with 50 to 99 employees; medium, with 100 to 249 workers; large, with 250 to 999; and largest, with 1,000 or more.

HSL was ranked #22 in the largest category. The nonprofit, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, has provided services for seniors in the Boston area since 1903. Today, the organization provides health care, senior living communities, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers. The organization’s 2,600 employees serve over 3,000 seniors each day, at its nine locations in Boston, Brookline, Canton, Dedham, Randolph, and Revere, as well as through its home and community-based services.

HSL President and CEO Lou Woolf said, “We are so proud of our team for this wonderful achievement - for the third year - which honors HSL’s ongoing commitment to be a great place to work for all of our 2,600 employees. Our employees play the critical role in servicing our seniors, and their engagement in creating our culture and determining how we provide those services is crucial to our success.”

“Making employees happy doesn't have to take a lot of effort or money, but it does require companies to put workers first," said Katie Johnston, the Globe’s Top Places to Work editor. "Our winning companies know that their people are their most valuable assets."

The rankings in the Top Places to Work are based on confidential survey information collected by Energage (formerly WorkplaceDynamics), an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention, from nearly 82,151 individuals at 318 Massachusetts organizations. The winners share a few key traits, including offering progressive benefits, giving their employees a voice, and encouraging them to have some fun while they are at it.

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the nonprofit, non-sectarian organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903.

BOSTON — Researchers from the Harvard Medical School - affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) along with several other institutions have found evidence that smoking leaves a long-term signature on DNA. Findings from the study will be published in the October issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, an American Heart Association journal.

IFAR’s Roby Joehanes Ph.D. and first author on the study explains, “Our study has found compelling evidence that smoking has a long-lasting impact on our molecular machinery, an impact that can last more than 30 years. The encouraging news is that once you stop smoking, the majority of DNA methylation signals return to never smoker levels after five years, which means your body is trying to heal itself of the harmful impacts of tobacco smoking.”

Stephanie J. London, M.D., Dr.P.H. last author and deputy chief of the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health says, “These results are important because methylation, as one of the mechanisms of the regulation of gene expression, affects what genes are turned on, which has implications for the development of smoking-related diseases. Equally important is our finding that even after someone stops smoking, we still see the effects of smoking on their DNA.”

After conducting an analysis of genome-wide DNA, researchers concluded that cigarette smoking has a broad impact on DNA methylation which may persist even several years after a person has quit smoking. In addition, the discovery of these DNA methylation sites could lead to the development of new treatments for smoking related illnesses. Despite the drastic decline of smoking in recent years (In the US today, there are more former smokers than current smokers) smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death around the world.

Infrastructure for the CHARGE Consortium is provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant R01HL105756. This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Additional Sources of funding can be found in the manuscript.


About the Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Institute for Aging Research seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity and productivity into advanced age. The Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making. The Aging Brain Center within IFAR studies cognitive aging and conditions affecting brain health.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the non-profit, non-sectarian organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook or read our blog.

Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), the largest provider of senior health care and communities in New England, has been named one of the Top Places to Work in Massachusetts in the eighth annual employee-based survey project from The Boston Globe. The Top Places to Work 2015 list is published online at BostonGlobe.com/topplaces and appeared in the November 15 Boston Globe Magazine.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them the best—the employees. The survey measures employee opinions about their company’s direction, execution, connection, management, work, pay and benefits, and engagement.

The employers are placed into one of four groups based on their number of employees. Hebrew SeniorLife, with more than 2,400 employees, ranked 25 in the largest employer (1,000+ employees) category.

"Our employees are the "heart and soul" of HSL and it’s because of them that we have been named to the Top Places to Work list," said Lou Woolf, HSL’s President and CEO.

"The success of a company is not only measured by its revenue and profits, but also by the loyalty and satisfaction of its employees," said Katie Johnston, Boston Globe workplace reporter and Top Places to Work editor. "The winning companies have developed innovative ways to engage and motivate their workers, which often serves as a key factor in innovation and leads to better professional performance."

The rankings in the Top Places to Work are based on confidential survey information collected by WorkplaceDynamics, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention, from nearly 77,000 individuals at 357 Massachusetts organizations. The winners share a few key traits, including offering progressive benefits, giving their employees a voice, and encouraging them to have some fun while they’re at it.


About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Based in Boston, the non-profit, non-sectarian organization has provided communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers since 1903. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit https://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook, or read our blog.