Annals of Internal Medicine: A New Perspective On Successful Aging
INDIANAPOLIS - Good genes are not enough. Aging well also requires healthy
lifestyles. Medical care is not enough. Aging well also requires caring
families and supportive communities. Researchers are increasingly interested
in the interaction between genes and environment in explaining why some
people and some communities age more successfully than others. Environment
includes not only things like clean air and access to health care, but
also safe streets, economic opportunities, and a helpful social network.
The Regenstrief Institute, Inc. recently hosted 100 of the nation’s
top scientists in a interdisciplinary conference to discuss research on
the multiple determinants of successful aging. The findings of the conference
are reported in a special supplement to the Sept. 2, 2003 issue of the
Annals of Internal Medicine.
Christopher M. Callahan, M.D., Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Chair in
Aging Research and Director of the Indiana University Center for Aging
Research chaired the Eighth Biennial Regenstrief Conference. “The
collection of papers in this supplement are unique in bringing together
a group of aging researchers from different scientific disciplines who
typically do not work together,” Dr. Callahan reports. “These
papers provide a compelling argument for a balanced research agenda that
includes all of the major determinants of health: biology, medical care,
lifestyle behaviors, and social and physical environments. Baby boomers
who want to live and work independently into their ninth and tenth decades
are not simply playing a genetic lottery. The decisions we make for ourselves
and our communities are at least as important as our genes.”
The Regenstrief Institute, Inc., an internationally recognized informatics
and healthcare research organization, is dedicated to the improvement
of health through research that enhances the quality and cost-effectiveness
of health care. Established in Indianapolis by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief
in 1969 on the campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine, the
Institute is supported by the Regenstrief Foundation and closely affiliated
with the IU School of Medicine and the Health and Hospital Corporation
of Marion County, Indiana.
Regenstrief Institute research scientists, including Institute President and CEO Thomas Inui, M.D, Associate Dean for Health Care Research at the I.U. School of Medicine, and Institute Director Clement McDonald, M.D., Indiana University Distinguished Professor of Medicine, form a highly respected cadre of health services researchers linked to one of the largest and most comprehensive medical informatics laboratories in the world.
The Supplement is available to reporters from the Annals of Internal Medicine. Contact Susan Anderson at 800-523-1546, extension 2653 or sanderson@mail.acponline.org
To arrange an interview with Christopher Callahan, M.D., Regenstrief Conference Chair and Director of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research, contact Cindy Fox Aisen at 317-274-7722 or caisen@iupui.edu
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Media Contact: Cindy Fox Aisen
317-274-7722
caisen@iupui.edu
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