External Innovative Network Core

Project Summary The overarching goal of the External Innovative Network Core (Core D) of the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA) is to strengthen scholarly collaborations related to MiCDA’s signature themes through the support of scholarly networks. In the coming cycle, this core will continue activities of two scholarly networks–one focused on Longitudinal Studies of Aging in the US and the other on the Changing Demography of Family Caregiving. Both networks will include a focus on the disproportionate distribution of late-life health in the US population and activities will engage scholars across disciplines, career stages and institutions. The Longitudinal Studies of Aging in the US network draws upon MiCDA affiliates’ expertise in leading national studies, and the need for National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded longitudinal studies in the US to strengthen operational approaches to data collection challenges and opportunities. Network organizers will convene leaders of NIA-funded panel studies annually to share practices and plans. Priority themes for the coming cycle include recruiting and retaining study sample members and reducing barriers to accessing data. To further the network’s reach, we will embed webinars in the annual meeting and develop publicly available network meeting materials to share via the MiCDA website (in collaboration with Core C). The network will also collaborate on a conference and publication of a special journal issue in conjunction with the Network for Innovative Methods in Longitudinal Aging Studies, a complementary NIA-funded international network that is dedicated to research and training on new data collection methods. The Changing Demography of Family Caregiving network will advance its collaborative research agenda on the implications of changes in the demography of families for late-life caregiving in the context of population aging by: inviting new emerging scholars to join the network; convening network members annually (rotating between in person and virtual meetings); sharing meeting materials via the MiCDA website (in collaboration with Core C); and hosting a research conference on the changing demography of disability, dementia and family care and publishing a special journal issue (in collaboration with Core C). Core D will also collaborate with Core A on tracking, analyzing and reporting outcomes.