Program Development Pilot Core

Project Summary The overarching goal of the Program Development Pilot Project Core (Core B) of the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA) is to enhance knowledge creation related to MiCDA’s signature themes, by developing and mentoring a new national cohort of emerging scholars. MiCDA’s focus over the next cycle will emphasize two overarching thematic areas: the changing demography of late-life disability, dementia and family caregiving; and the social, environmental and biological underpinnings over the life course that shape later-life health and wellbeing. A third theme, cross-cuts the two substantive foci, by advancing data infrastructure and methods to promote breakthroughs in the demography of aging. In the coming cycle, Core B will advance these areas of research, with attention to the disproportionate distribution of late-life health in the US population, by undertaking activities that will engage scholars across disciplines, career stages and institutions. Specifically, Core B will provide pilot funds to a new national cohort of emerging scholars and develop and implement an accompanying mentoring curriculum. MiCDA pilot recipients will receive one-on-one mentorship from an experienced MiCDA affiliate and will participate, with emerging scholars who are pilot recipients from any National Institute on Aging (NIA) Demography & Economics of Aging Center nationally and early career MiCDA affiliates, in seminars focused on manuscript preparation and grant proposal development. In addition, through Core C, MiCDA pilot recipients and early career MiCDA affiliates will receive training in science communication and amplification of research findings to scientific and lay audiences. Core B will also collaborate with Core A on tracking, analyzing and reporting outcomes.