Healthy Aging Summit Unites Medical Center in Shared Goals [Video]

Thanks in great part to public health investments, since 1900 life expectancy has roughly doubled. Around the globe, there are now more people aged 65 and older than under age 5. By 2050, the number of people aged 80 years or older is expected to triple. Society now faces the challenge of optimizing our longer lives by extending our “healthspan”—defined as years of life lived free of disease and disability.

To address this challenge, on April 19, the Healthspan Extension Summit brought together researchers from across the medical center to present findings in basic science, clinical medicine, and public health, and to discuss how these fields can ensure healthier long lives. The event was organized by the CUIMC Healthy Aging Initiative (CHAI) and supported by the Four Deans Fund and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, which is based at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). It drew over 300 members of the research community …