Related Events

Seminar: Early-Life Experiences and Cognitive Function: Biosocial Pathways in Aging U.S. Latino Subgroups (part of the Maryland Population Research Center’s Fall 2024 lecture series)

Speaker: Catherine García, PhD, CPG*

*EdDem Affiliate and Pilot Awardee

Seminar Description: The seminar focuses on the theoretical, methodological, and analytical decision-making in examining the mediating effects of education and cardiometabolic risk scores on the relationship between early-life experiences and cognitive function among middle aged and older Latina/o/xs by cultural heritage and racial identification.

Date/Time: Monday, October 21 from 12-1pm EST

Format: In-person at 2208 LeFrak Hall at the University of Maryland, College Park (register here), or register online via Zoom here.

Speaker Bio: Catherine García, PhD, CPG is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Science at Syracuse University. Dr. García also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Sociology and is affiliated with the Aging Studies Institute, Lerner Center for Population Health and Public Health Promotion, and the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr. García earned their PhD in Gerontology from the University of Southern California in 2020, where they received biodemography and population health training as a T32 predoctoral research fellow. This training culminated in her receiving the R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award followed by an NIA Diversity Supplement to examine the contextual effects of health among older Puerto Ricans and an R24 pilot award to examine the relationships between biosocial factors and cognitive performance among aging Latina/o/xs.

Dr. García’s research focuses on the dynamics of the aging process in Latina/o/x populations in the United States and Puerto Rico. She specifically addresses the overlooked issues of heterogeneity and variability within the Latina/o/x population using an intersectional and life course perspective. Her work aims to better understand how social conditions and statuses among Latina/o/xs become biologically embedded, influencing age-related diseases, conditions, and outcomes.

More information here

Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS)’s 2024 Conference: “Tackling declining life expectancy in the US: investigating social drivers and policy solutions”

Dates: September 10-13, 2024

Location: St. Louis, MO

EdDem Network Affiliates, including Drs. Katrina Walsemann, Hyungmin Cha, Mateo Farina, and Pamela Herd will present at the IAPHS conference in the panel below:

“Early life environments, life course pathways, and dementia risk”

Time/Date: 1:30-2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11

Location: Landmark 4.

Session Description: While there is an increasingly robust, and causal, evidentiary base that education is protective against dementia, largely because of differences in baseline cognitive function rather than rates of decline, we know relatively little about the role of childhood and adolescence in shaping the education—dementia relationship, including individual and contextual factors or how these relationships vary by race. Papers in this panel will consider several early life environments and their role in dementia risk and onset. These early life environments are measured using individual assessments of adolescent cognition when respondents were in high school, state administrative data on childhood infectious disease mortality rates at the time of respondents’ birth, and state administrative data on investment in public education when older adults were in primary school. The Herd paper explores how early cognitive resources are related to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and non-AD dementia. The Farina paper considers early-life pathogenic environments as a potential factor in brain development and inflammatory processes that may have long-term implications for dementia risk. The Cha paper examines if states that provide higher quality schools protect against dementia onset and if it does so differentially by race.  Together, the papers in this panel will help shed light on the role of early life for dementia risk and point to possible pathways linking early-life environments to later-life dementia risk.

See the interactive agenda here for more information on each session.

Identifying Midlife Social Exposures that Might Modify Risk for Cognitive Impairment Associated with Early Life Disadvantage

Dates: Aug 29 – 30, 2024 (Workshop agenda is linked on the event page here.)

Location: Virtual or In-Person @ National Academy of Sciences, Keck Center, 500 5th St NW, Washington DC 20001

Register here.

Description: Early life disadvantages have been associated with a higher risk of dementia, but the risk may be modified by early life and midlife exposures. While attention is often given to individuals’ behavior and choices, structural and institutional forces may be more effective in addressing inequities. This workshop will examine what measures, data infrastructure needs, and analytic measures can advance understanding of how midlife social exposures can address early life risk factors.

Please join us for a two-day public workshop to discuss the state of knowledge and identify conceptual approaches to guide research on better understanding midlife exposures that may be modifiable in reducing the risk of later-life dementia.

EdDem Network Directors Pam Herd and Katrina Walsemann will be participating as speakers in the workshops.

PAA Presentations related to EdDem’s Critical Areas

Note: Bolded names indicate EdDem Network members

Flash Talk: Socioeconomic Disparities and Underrepresented Populations in Aging and Health | Thursday, April 18, 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM

• Neighborhood Characteristics and Trajectories of Dementia Risk Among Older Adults (W. Qin, University of Wisconsin–Madison; D. Byrd, Arizona State University)
• Cohort Change and Life Course Socioeconomic Differences in Cognitive Health Trajectories (H. Cha, University of Southern California; M. Hayward, University of Texas at Austin)

Poster Session: Aging and the Life Course | Thursday, April 18, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

• Cognitive Functioning and Social Connectedness Among Older Couples: Dyadic Evidence From the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (M. Li; M. Engelman, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Y. Li, University of Chicago)
• The Effects of HBCU Attendance Among Black College-Goers on Later Life Physical Health, Mental Health, Cognitive Functioning, And Mortality (R. Arias Achio, University of Minnesota; J. Warren, University of Minnesota; E. Grodsky, University of Wisconsin; C. Muller, University of Texas)
• Does Educational Attainment Improve Cognitive Functioning of Older Tribal Population in India? (N. Kumari, International Institute for Population Sciences; N. Saikia, International Institute for Population Sciences)

Flash Talk: Cognitive Health and Dementia | Thursday, April 18, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

• Underestimating the Relationship: Unpacking Both Socioeconomic Resources and Cognitive Function and Decline in Mid- to Later Life (P. Herd, Georgetown University; K. Walsemann, University of Maryland)
• Conceptualizing Offspring Educational (Dis)advantage and Its Relationship to Parents’ Dementia Onset (J. Yahirun, Bowling Green State University; J. Applegate, Bowling Green State University; K. Mossakowski, University of Hawaii at Manoa)
• Dual Functionality in Social Context: Social Predictors of Co-Occurring Cognitive and Functional Health in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (A. Goldman, Boston College; A. Kotwal, University of California, San Francisco; L. Waite, University of Chicago)
• Gender, Educational, and Subnational Differences in Cognition and Contributing Factors in India (A. Perianayagam, Qatar University; R. Dhandona, Public Health Foundation of India; P. Zanwar, Thomas Jefferson University; S. Y, SRM Institute of Technology ; D. Gudekar, International Institute for Population Sciences ; S. Salvi, International Institute for Population Sciences; S. Surpam, International Institute for Population Sciences)
• Exposure to Occupational Strain Across the Life Course and Cognitive Disparities by Gender and Race/Ethnicity (M. Sheftel, Pennsylvania State University; N. Goldman, Princeton University; A. Pebley, University of California-Los Angeles; B. Pratt, Princeton University; S. Park, University of Massachusetts Boston)
• The Long-Run Impact of Free Education on Late-Life Cognitive Function: Evidence From Ireland (C. Kieny, Unisanté; M. Avendano, University of Lausanne; Y. Ma; A. Nolan)

Oral: Cognitive Aging and Dementia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries | Friday, April 19, 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM

• Spousal Education and Cognitive Trajectories among Chinese Couples: A Longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence Model Analysis (Y. Guo, Xi’an Jiaotong University; Z. Zhang, Michigan State University; P. Philip, Michigan State University; Q. Jiang, Xi’an Jiaotong University)

Oral: Novel Perspectives on Late-Life Employment | Friday, April 19, 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

• Does Type, Timing, and Duration of Life Course Non-Employment Differentially Predict Dementia Risk and Cognitive Decline? A Novel Application of Sequence Analysis (L. Pacca, UCSF; A. Vable; A. Harrati, Mathematica)

Oral: State and Neighborhood Influences on Health | Friday, April 19, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

• The Role of Education in Regional Variation in Prevalence of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment No Dementia: An Examination of Both Educational Attainment and Education Context (J. Ailshire, University of Southern California; M. Farina, Assistant Professor; H. Jackson, University of Maryland; K. Walsemann, University of Maryland)
• The Long-Term Impact of Place of Birth on Later Life Cognitive Health: Evidence and Insights From the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (Z. Lin, Yale University; X. Chen, Yale University)

Oral: Aging in Middle- and Low-Income Countries | Friday, April 19, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

• Comparisons of Socioeconomic Predictors of Cognition Among Older Adults in Chile and Mexico (S. Mani, Johns Hopkins University; M. Delaporte, University of Pennsylvania; B. O’Grady, University of Texas Medical Branch; J. Bardales, University of Pennsylvania; J. Behrman, University of Pennsylvania; D. Bravo, Catholic University of Chile; I. Elo, University of Pennsylvania; R. Wong, University of Texas Medical Branch)

Invited Session: What Can We Learn About the Relationship Between Education and Later-Life Cognitive Outcomes From the International Family of Health and Retirement Studies and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol | Friday, April 19, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

• The Gateway to Global Aging Policy Initiative: Systematic Collection of Education Policy Data to Enable Global and Cross-Country Research (E. Nichols, University of Southern California)
• Do Increasing Trends in Education Explain Recent Declines in Dementia? Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Reforms in the United Kingdom (M. Avendano, University of Lausanne)
• Educational Attainment and Dementia Likelihood: A Cross-National Analysis of the United States and Mexico (J. Saenz, Arizona State University)
• Using the HCAP to Evaluate Cross-National Differences in the Relationship Between Adult Child Educational Attainment and Older Parents’ Cognitive Outcomes (J. Torres, University of California, San Francisco)

Oral: Innovative Approaches to Understanding Late-Life Health Disparities | Friday, April 19, 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM

• Work History, Work Quality, and Accelerated Aging Among Older Adults (R. Donnelly, Vanderbilt University; M. Farina, University of Southern California)
• Race and Cognitive Health Disparities Among Older Americans: Exploring the Impact of Debt–Asset Profiles in the Pre-Retirement Period (C. Lee, University of California-Riverside; D. Glei, Georgetown University; S. Park, University of California-Riverside)
• Increasing Child’s Education Improves Parent’s Dementia Risk and Educational Gradients: A Two-Generation Approach (L. Luo, Pennsylvania State University; J. Xu; J. Warren, University of Minnesota; K. Langa, University of Michigan)

Poster Session: Education, Employment, and Inequality | Friday, April 19, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

• The Role of State-Level Educational Quality in Shaping Dementia Mortality (E. Kerr, University of Maryland, College Park; H. Jackson, University of Maryland, College Park; M. Hayward, University of Texas at Austin; K. Walsemann, University of Maryland, College Park)