USC Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (US-RCMAR)

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Overall Project Summary Advances in medicine and technology are providing for longer and healthier lives today much more than in the past. Yet with longevity comes new public health concerns about age-related diseases and conditions. Moreover, health indicators have demonstrated little improvement in health disparities between different racial and ethnic populations over the past decades. Indeed, many of the health and economics issues associated with the aging process are of such magnitude and complexity that they cannot be understood from the vantage point of any single discipline alone. Against this backdrop, the Minority Aging Health Economics Research Center (the University of Southern California Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, “USC RCMAR”) brings together an interdisciplinary team to provide infrastructure and resources to increase the number, diversity and success of researchers focusing on the health and economic well being of the elderly with the goal of improving the health, well-being, function, and independence of all older Americans. We will build upon its successful 5 year history, during which it has supported 15 pilots and 92 papers involving 13 scientists at USC, 1 scientist at the Spelman College, 1 scientist at Vanderbilt University and 1 scientist at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The mission of the Minority Aging Health Economics Research Center (the University of Southern California Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research, “USC RCMAR”) is to increase the diversity and success of researchers focusing on the health and economic well being of the elderly with the goal of improving the health, well-being, function, and independence of diverse older Americans. The proposed RCMAR’s target research areas are the differences across racial and ethnic groups of elderly in health and health care usage with an emphasis is on using longitudinal survey and claims based data sources to identify causal pathways: i.e. (1) social, economic and environmental factors driving disparities in physical disease and cognitive functioning; and (2) health consequences of disparities in medical care and pharmaceutical utilization. The USC RCMAR is housed in the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, which brings together 40 health policy experts across the University—including faculty from Gerontology, Engineering, Law, Public Policy, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Arts & Letters. This proposed Center will utilize the resources of National Institute on Aging Centers including Roybal Center for Health Policy Simulation, Roybal Institute on Aging, Roybal Center for Financial Decision Making and Financial Independence in Old Age, Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Center for the Study of Health Inequality, USC/UCLA Biodemography and Population Health; and other USC Centers including Brookings Institute/Schaeffer Initiative, USC Center for Economic and Social Research, and the Schaeffer Center.