A worldwide increase in life expectancy and decrease in fertility rates led the World Health Organization to predict in 2022 that the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years old will nearly double between 2015 and 2050, from 12 to 22 percent. Related difficulties include providing health and long-term care needs, finding treatments for cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s, and addressing health disparities in aging.
Norma B. Coe and Rachel M. Werner of the Perelman School of Medicine responded by creating the Get Experience in Aging Research Undergraduate Program, or GEAR UP.
Citation:
"Gearing Up for Research on Aging." Penn Arts & Sciences, S Ahlborn, April 5, 2024.