Center for Demography of Health and Aging

(October 12, 2009) The Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) of the University of Illinois and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago are hosting a conference, "New Perspectives on Health and Health Care Policy," on March 22-23, 2010 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Scholars who are engaged in all areas of health and health policy research are invited to submit their work. Approximately 8-10 papers will be selected. The organizing committee will give priority to original research with direct public policy application. Participants will be selected on the basis of papers or extended abstracts of approximately 500 words. Submission deadline is November 1, 2009. Please email your submission to lubotsky@illinois.edu. The conference will pay travel and lodging expenses for one author of each paper. For more information, please check out this page, http://igpa.uillinois.edu/press/march-conference-call-for-papers.

Grants Available from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

(October 5, 2009) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now accepting grant proposals for the Grand Challenges Explorations, a $100 million initiative to encourage bold and unconventional global health solutions. Anyone can apply, regardless of your prior experience or institutional affiliation. Previous winners include graduate students, entrepreneurs at start-up companies, and creative thinkers from all fields of research. Initial grants will be $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to $1 million. Full descriptions of topics and application instructions are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations. Proposals are currently being accepted online until November 2, 2009.

2nd Stanford Workshop in Biodemography

(September 10, 2009) This invitation-only workshop brings together distinguished biologists and demographers to discuss current research on life histories. Reproduction, mortality, health and aging are some of the key subjects that are being studied using a combination of demographic, ecological, evolutionary and genetic data and analytical methods. Advanced students/postdocs/junior faculty are invited to apply for this 3-day workshop in Biodemography. For a tentative program and application information, visit http://iriss.stanford.edu/scpr/biodemography2009. Application deadline is September 25, 2009.

21st Annual Colloquium on Aging

(September 10, 2009)The University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute on Aging will present its 21st Annual Colloquium on Aging on October 1 in Monona Terrace and Convention Center. Conference topics include psychology and health, genetics of type 2 diabetes, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease and impact of lifelong caregiving. For more information, visit this site, http://aging.wisc.edu/outreach/colloquium.php.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Calls for Applications for Health Society Scholars

(August 26, 2009) A call for applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program has been issued. This program is designed to build the nation's capacity for research, leadership and policy change to address the multiple determinants of population health. The program is based on the principle that progress in the field of population health depends upon multidisciplinary collaboration and exchange. Its goal is to improve health by training scholars to investigate rigorously the connections among biological, genetic, behavioral, environmental, economic and social determinants of health and to develop, evaluate and disseminate knowledge and interventions that integrate and act on these determinants to improve health. This program is intended to produce leaders who will change the questions asked, the methods employed to analyze problems, and the range of solutions to reduce population health disparities and improve the health of all Americans. Application deadline is October 2, 2009. To learn more about this program and how to apply for it, please visit this site, http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20741.

Health Literacy Research Conference

(July 8, 2009)The first Health Literacy Annual Research Conference will be held in Washington DC on October 19-20, 2009. This is an interdisciplinary meeting for investigators dedicated to health literacy research in the areas of public health, health services, epidemiology, translational and interventional research activities. It will feature presentations and discussions of original findings for core definitional issues, emerging measurement ideas, early-stage instruments to allow validation activities in various populations and newly validated instruments and interventions. Abstracts for presentations at the meeting are being accepted till 5PM (EST), August 19, 2009. Investigators who have an abstract selected for oral presentation at the meeting will receive a stipend for meeting attendance. International participation is also welcome. There are a limited number of stipends available to support international investigators whose work is accepted for presentation at the meeting. For more information about this conference, visit http://www.bumc.bu.edu/healthliteracyconference/.

Multilevel Modeling Workshop

(July 6, 2009) The Center for Addiction and Behavioral Health Research (CABHR) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is hosting a two-day workshop on multilevel modeling for social science & public health research on July 20 and 21. This workshop will be taught by Dr. Donald R. Hedeker. Dr. Hedeker is a Professor in the Division of Epistemology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Multilevel modeling is becoming a standard data analytic tool for quantitative researchers in the social sciences and public health. It is particularly useful for the analysis of the impact of interventions. To learn more about this workshop, visit this website, http://tigger.uic.edu/~hedeker/ml.html. The cost is $80 ($40 for students). Please call 414-229-5008 or visit http://www4.uwm.edu/cabhr/ to register.

NIH Funding Opportunity

(June 29, 2009) The National Institute of Health has issued a Request for Application on fertility preservation research. Funds will come from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Grant applications should address research in these areas: 1) characterize the risks and mechanisms of gonadal damage secondary to exposure to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or occupational or environmental hazards, 2) elucidate more reliable biomarkers of reproductive capacity, and 3) examine the social, legal, and ethical ramifications of fertility preservation technologies. This is a R01 grant. Its application due date is October 20, 2009. For more information, please visit this website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-09-009.html.

Call for Comment on Major Data Collections in Federal Government

(June 29, 2009) Several calls for comment on major data collections by the federal government agencies have been issued recently. These opportunities are important for data users to send in their comments. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is responsible for reviewing and approving every federal data collection effort. Every three years approvals for existing surveys need to be renewed. The public is given two opportunities to comment. A 60-day comment period is given as the statistical agency is preparing its submission to OMB and a 30-day period after it submits its proposal to OMB. These calls for Comment are regularly published in the Federal Register, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/. You can use "comment request" AND the name of the survey to locate these announcements in the Federal Register site. Here are a few surveys that might be of interest to CDHA members: 2010 Census Coverage Measurement (CCM) Person Interview and Reinterview Operations (comment due date August 18,2008), Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Sharing Program (comment due date August 17, 2009) and 2010-2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component (comment due date August 17, 2009).

NCOA Summer Internship

(April 22, 2009) The National Council on Aging (NCOA) in Washington, DC is accepting applications for a summer Research Intern to conduct research and write a paper. NCOA is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization (http://www.ncoa.org). Graduate students whose specialty is in demography on aging can apply for this internship which goes from May to July of 2009 but can be negotiated depending on the gradate school schedules. A modest stipend will be provided. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume and short writing samples (5-7 pages maximum) to Wanda Moore Johnson, Director for Human Resources: 1901 L Street N.W., 4th Floor; Washington, DC 20036 or email it to: wanda.johnson@ncoa.org. To see the details about this position, please view this PDF document, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/home/NCOAIntern.pdf.

NIH Challenge Grants Request for Applications

(March 5, 2009) NIH has received new funds for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). NIH has designated at least $200 million for a new initiative called the NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research. For details, see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/challenge_award/. This new program will support research on topic areas which address specific scientific and health research challenges in biomedical and behavioral research and public health. All the topics of these broad challenge areas are described in this PDF document, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/docs/ChallengeGrants_High_Priority_Topics.pdf. To review the compilation of all NIH Institute and Center Challenge Topics, please check out this PDF document, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/docs/ChallengeGrants_Omnibus_030408.pdf. Application due date is April 27, 2009.

NLS 2009 Summer Workshops

(February 24, 2009) Two concurrent National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) workshops offered by the Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) are scheduled on July 13-15, 2009, at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. A general NLS workshop is designed to introduce new users to the range of NLS data sets: the NLSY79 Main Youth, Child and Young Adult data for NLSY79 and the NLSY97. A concurrent workshop on NLSY79 Child and Young Adult data is specifically for graduate students who would like the opportunity to begin working on a project of their own. At this workshop, attendees can get input from experts whose researches are on childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Travel expenses, accommodation and most meals will be provided for all participants attending either workshop. Details on how to apply for these two workshops will be available in a few weeks.

Summer Training in Demographic Analysis

(February 19, 2009) An Inter-university consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) summer program workshop in longitudinal analysis of historical demographic data will be held from July 20 to August 14 in Ann Arbor Michigan. Historical demography is an interdisciplinary field with a long history of important contributions to population studies and to the understanding of the past. This 4-week course will emphasize the use of event history analysis and data management of historical databases drawn from European, North American, and Asian populations. Longitudinal data will be employed to construct time-varying covariates and contextual variables for individuals, families, and households. Methodological issues such as censoring and incomplete information will also be covered. To learn more about this course at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog/historical-demography.html. Application deadline is May 4, 2009. Applications are competitive. Participants will be selected on the basis of their interest in the topical areas, prior methodological training, and potential for research contributions that promote longitudinal analysis. Participants should be familiar with quantitative methods, including regression analysis. A limited number of stipends (between $500 and $2,000 US) will be awarded to cover travel and other expenses. For those admitted to this workshop, no fee will be charged to attend. Apply on-line at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/training/summer/, or at the ICPSR booth at the PAA meetings in Detroit.

National Academy of Social Insurance Summer Internships

(February 13, 2009) The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is devoted to furthering knowledge and understanding of social insurance programs, and is uniquely qualified to provide students with challenging internship opportunities. NASI's members, recognized experts in social insurance and health policy, offer the interns access to information and experiences found nowhere else. For 2009, NASI has 15-18 opening for its 12-week summer internship program in Washington. DC. There are four types of internships: 1. Washington Internship on Social Insurance, 2. Somers Aging and Long-Term Care Research Internship, 3. Nathan J. Stark Internship on Non-Profit Development, and 4. Eileen Sweeney Graduate Internship in Disability Policy. A NASI internship that usually spans May to August, depending on the student's college schedule. Students receive a $3,000 honorarium for their internship experience and academic credit may be arranged through the intern's college or university. International Students with valid student visas can be placed with non-governmental organizations, if placement projects match their skills and interests. To learn more about these internships and how to apply, visit NASI site, http://www.nasi.org/info-url_nocat3815/info-url_nocat.htm. Application deadline is March 1, 2009.

Global Health and Innovation Summit

(January 23, 2009) Unite For Sight 6th Annual Global Health & Development Summit will be held at Yale University on April 18-19, 2009. 200 speakers will be presenting at this conference. Anyone who is interested in international health and development, public health, eye care, medicine, social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, philanthropy, microfinance, human rights, anthropology, health policy, advocacy, public service, environmental health, and education can attend this two-day summit. To learn more about this conference, please visit http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference.

RAND Summer Institute

(January 20, 2009) The 16th annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Office for Behavior and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health, will take place in Santa Monica, CA, July 6-9, 2009. The RSI consists of two conferences, each addressing critical issues facing our aging population: a Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists (July 6-7) and a workshop on the Demography, Economics and Epidemiology of Aging (July 8-9). The primary aim of RSI is to expose scholars interested in the study of aging to a wide range of research being conducted in fields beyond their own specialties. Applicants may apply for fellowship support to pay for travel and accommodations. For further information and an online application, visit: http://www.rand.org/labor/aging/rsi/. For additional information, please contact Diana Malouf (malouf@rand.org).

Call for Abstracts: 2004 NLTCS, Submission Deadline Extended

(January 12, 2009) The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) are going to sponsor a research conference in April of 2009 at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. This conference will showcase original research that uses the 2004 Wave of the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS). The NLTCS is a nationally-representative sample both of the community and of institutional populations and is longitudinal in that sample person’s age in once they reach 65 years of age and stay in the survey until they either die or are lost to follow-up. The National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) has been collected approximately every five years, and consists of six waves (1982, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, and 2004). Short abstracts no more than 500 words long that describe the goals of the proposed paper, the research design and the expected outcomes can be submitted to James McNally at NACDA@icpsr.umich.edu as attachments in either Microsoft Word files or in pdf format. Accepted presenters are expected to present completed analysis and results that develop new and innovative research strategies on health, disability, and the socio-economic characteristics of the elderly population using the 2004 NLTCS data. Invited speakers will be contacted by January 20th, 2008. Travel support and a small honorarium will be available for authors of papers included in the program. The submission deadline for abstracts has been extended beyond December 30, 2008. For questions and additional details please contact James W. McNally, Director of the NACDA Program on Aging at jmcnally@umich.edu or 734-615-9520.

Health Data Interactive

(November 13, 2008) The National Center for Health Statistics launches a new website, Health Data Interactive (HDI) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hdi.htm. HDI is created by combining two interactive, web-based applications, Health Data for All Ages and Trends in Health and Aging. HDI provides a broad range of important public health indicators through an interactive web-based application (Beyond 20/20). Users can access pre-tabulated national data via HDI. Exploring trends in major health indicators by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and other variables can be done with HDI cross tabulation tool. Please note that only a few tables provide data by state. The majority of HDI tables were designed to provide national and regional estimates, rather than state estimates.

PREHCO2 Preliminary Data and Documents Available

(November 10, 2008) The Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions (PREHCO2), 2004-2006 preliminary data and documents are now available at CDHA's BADGIR site, http://nesstar.ssc.wisc.edu/. PREHCO2 interviewed survivors of the sample interviewed in PREHCO1. It collected information on changes in health, functional limitations, depression, cognition and mortality as well as on family and residential arrangement transitions, familial and non familial transfers, fluctuations in income and assets and, finally, labor force status changes. PREHCO data provides a rich source to examine these areas of research: 1. investigation of uniformly high age and sex-specific prevalence of obesity and self-reported diabetes (type II); 2. investigation of race differentials in measures of health and functional status, 3. assessment of conjectures posing a relation between health and functional limitations of older cohorts and their early childhood experiences of malnutrition and disease; 4. health, functional status and mortality differentials across socioeconomic levels and among individuals with and without migrant experiences in the US.

PREHCO1 Data and Documents Available

(October 31, 2008) The Center for Demography of Health and Aging publishes the Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions (PREHCO1), 2002-2003 data and documents at its BADGIR site, http://nesstar.ssc.wisc.edu/. PREHCO1 provides quality data for researchers and policy makers about issues affecting the elderly population in Puerto Rico: health status, housing arrangements, functional status, transfers, labor history, migration, income, childhood conditions, health insurance and use of health services, marital history, mistreat, sexuality, etc. This wave of the PREHCO Project investigated the characteristics of older adults (aged 60+) in Puerto Rico through an island-wide, cross-sectional sample survey of target individuals and their spouses. The project has been funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and it is developed through a collaboration agreement between the Center for Demography and Ecology of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Graduate School of Public Health of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. Its follow up survey, PREHCO2 was fielded in 2004-2006. The data documentation for PREHCO2 is also available from BADGIR. PREHCO2 data will be released in the near future.

Randomized Clinical Trials Summer Institute

(December 17, 2008) The ninth annual Summer Institute on Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) Involving Behavioral Interventions will be held at Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia from July 12 to July 24, 2009. This training program is sponsored and organized by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Junior researchers and health professionals interested in developing competence in the planning, design, and execution of randomized clinical trials involving behavioral interventions are invited to apply. Application deadline is midnight on Sunday, January 5, 2008. All application materials must be submitted online. Instructions and the application form are posted at http://blsweb.net/obssrapp2attend2009/. For additional information about this training opportunity, visit this website, http://obssr.od.nih.gov/training_and_education/annual_Randomized_Clinical_Trials_course/RCT_info.aspx

PRB Discuss Online

(November 3, 2008) The Population Reference Bureau’s upcoming Discuss Online: "What Are the Financial Implications of Aging in the United States?" will starts at 1:00 PM on Thursday, November 6. Dr. Ron Lee, professor of demography and economics at the University of California-Berkeley will responds to your questions about the the trends in mortality and aging in the United States, and the implications of population aging on government entitlement programs and the U.S. economy. Submit your questions to http://discuss.prb.org in advance or during the discussion. A full transcript of the questions and answers will be posted after the discussion. You can view a webcast interview with Ron Lee at http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2008/mortalityandaging.aspx

NIH 2009 Director's Pioneer and New Innovator Awards

(October 29, 2008) NIH Seeks Proposals for 2009 Director's Pioneer and New Innovator Awards. Both programs are part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/) and support scientists who take highly innovative, potentially high-impact approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research.

Pioneer Awards provide up to $2.5 million in direct costs over 5 years and are open to scientists at any career stage. New Innovator Awards provide up to $1.5 million in direct costs over the same period and are for early career investigators who have not received an NIH regular research (R01) or similar NIH grant.

The Pioneer Award competition begins with a proposal submission period from November 17 to December 17, 2008. See Pre-Application for the 2009 NIH Director¹s Pioneer Award Program (X02) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-012.html) (PAR-09-012). Questions can be sent to pioneer@nih.gov.

The New Innovator Award competition begins with a proposal submission period from December 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009. See Pre-Application for the 2009 NIH Director¹s New Innovator Award Program (X02) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-09-013.html) (PAR-09-013). Send questions to newinnovator@nih.gov.

NIH's New Transformative R01 Program

(October 29, 2008) The Transformative R01 (T-R01) program has been specifically created under the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research to support exceptionally innovative, high risk, original and/or unconventional research projects that have the potential to profoundly impact a broad area of biomedical or behavioral research. To facilitate submission and review of the most bold, creative and high impact proposals, the new T-R01 program will pilot novel approaches to peer review and program management. A high degree of risk in these proposals is expected and welcomed. The application submission period is from December 29, 2008 to January 29, 2009. See http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/T-R01/ for more information. Send questions to T_R01@mail.nih.gov.

NSFH Wave 3 Available from BADGIR

(October 22, 2008) The Center for Demography of Health and Aging announces that NSFH Wave 3 data is now available in BADGIR, http://nesstar.ssc.wisc.edu/. You now can search for variables of interest and create custom extracts in SAS, SPSS, STATA, Excel and raw ASCII format for the following NSFH wave 3 files.

NHMS Public Data Released

(October 22, 2008) The National Health Measurement Study (NHMS) is a new data source for researches on multiple health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) measures. It includes a suite of HRQoL indexes to allow comparison and cross-calibration of these instruments. The design oversampled African Americans and older individuals (ages 65+) to allow subgroup analyses.

In 2005-06, US adults aged 35-89 were contacted by the National Health Measurement Study (NHMS) staff using random digit dialed telephone survey methods. Computer-assisted interviewers at the UW Survey Center administered the EuroQol EQ-5D, Health Utilities Index, SF-36v2TM, and QWB-SA questionnaires in random order to every respondent. Respondents are characterized by census region of residence, age, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, education, household income and assets, health insurance, weight, height, smoking status, psychological well-being scales, and everyday and lifetime discrimination items. Respondents indicated whether they had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, eye disease, sleep disorder, chronic respiratory disease, clinical depression or anxiety disorder, gastrointestinal ulcer, thyroid disorder, and/or severe chronic back pain. Census tract is not identified however race composition, education levels, economic factors, and urbanicity of each respondent’s census tract of residence are included as contextual variables. NHMS, 2005-2006 is available from BADGIR, http://nesstar.ssc.wisc.edu/.

National Academies Policy Fellowship Call for Applications

(September 29, 2008) The National Academies are accepting applications for the the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. This Program is designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, public policy, and law students in the analytical process that informs the creation of national policy-making with a science/technology element. As a result, students develop basic skills essential to working in the world of science policy. There will be two 12-week sessions: Winter: January 12-April 3, 2009 and Fall: September 9- November 25, 2009. The deadline for the January 2009 session is November 1, 2008 and for the fall 2009 it is June 1, 2009. Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and those who have completed graduate studies or postdoctoral research within the last 5 years are eligible to apply. Candidates should submit an application and request that a mentor/adviser fill out a reference form. Both forms are available on the Web at http://national-academies.org/policyfellows.

Unite For Sight 6th Annual Conference

(September 9, 2008) Unite For Sight 6th Annual Global Health & Development Conference will be held at Yale University on April 18-19, 2009. You are invited to submit an abstract for a presentation. Presentation topics can be about medicine, public health, global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship. The abstract deadline is September 15, and abstracts must be submitted through the online system at http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference. Registration rate increases monthly.

Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellowship

(September 3, 2008) The Brookdale Foundation announces the 2009 Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellowship Program. This Fellowship is open to all professionals in the field of aging. Applications from disciplines such as the medical, biological and basic sciences, social sciences, nursing, the arts and humanities are needed. Each candidate must: (1) Demonstrate leadership potential; (2) Provide evidence of an ongoing commitment to a career in aging; (3) Have a mentor (or mentors) willing and able to provide meaningful professional guidance to the candidate; (4) Agree to commit at least 75% of his or her time for career development during each of the two years of the Fellowship; and (5) Propose a project related to the field of aging that will contribute to the candidate's career development and also serve to enhance his or her leadership skills.

The award is a two-year grant paid to the candidate's sponsoring institution in support of the candidate's research project. A grant award of up to $125,000 each year is intended to cover 75% of the Fellow's time, base salary and fringe benefits. The award could also be used to include the support for a graduate assistant, if necessary, as long as the total amount of both positions does not exceed $125,000.

Deadline for Application Submission is Thursday, November 6, 2008, 5 pm EDT. To learn more about this fellowship and its online application, please visit this site, http://www.brookdalefoundation.org/Leadership/Fellows/fellows.html.

NSFH wave 1 updated in BADGIR

(August 11, 2008) The National Survey of Families and Households wave 1 data is updated in BADGIR (Better Access to Data for Global Interdisciplinary Research) online archive. This version replaces an earlier release (2004-10-19) of NSFH Wave1 in BADGIR. This update adds 329 variables (TCOMPL to T101O) from the Tertiary Respondent file which were not included in CDHA's 2004 release of NSFH wave 1 data in BADGIR. In addition, value labels and notes are added to some variables. Finally, links to appendices, questionnaires, skipmaps, codebooks and sample design are added in this release.

BADGIR users who are planning to download NSFH Wave 1 data in SAS format should know that BADGIR will produce an ASCII data file and SAS statements that can be used to read the ASCII file into SAS. These users (and users who prefer to simply download an ASCII text file only) should note that the raw ASCII data file that is downloaded from BADGIR will have a logical record length of 7946. This lrecl is 8 columns less than the original data file from the NSFH website which has a lrecl of 7954 (ftp://elaine.ssc.wisc.edu/pub/nsfh/d1all.004). The lrecl for an ASCII file downloaded from BADGIR eliminates the 8 blank columns (columns 7302 to 7308 and column 7943) from the original data file on the NSFH website. When selecting the SAS formatting option for downloads from BADGIR, SAS input statements are also provided by BADGIR/Nesstar to read in this raw ASCII data file when users specifies SAS as their download data format. These SAS statements correctly correspond to the ASCII file that is simultaneously downloaded from BADGIR and, when run in SAS, will generate a file with lrecl 7946.

Please note that the raw ASCII data file for wave 1 available from the NSFH web site, (ftp://elaine.ssc.wisc.edu/pub/nsfh/d1all.004) remains unchanged and is not affected by this new release of NSFH wave 1 in BADGIR.

Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging Conference

(June 25, 2008) The fourteenth annual "Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging" conference will be held on Thursday September 18, 2008 in the Pyle Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This conference is for people who serve the nutrition needs of older adults in a clinical or community setting. Dr. Robert Martindale, MD, PhD, Medical Director for Hospital Nutrition Services at Oregon Health and Science University will give an overview of the gastrointestinal and nutritional implications of aging in his keynote speech. Then Dr. Michael Wolf, PhD, MPH, of Northwestern University will give his keynote presentation on health literacy. There are seminars on food safety, kidney and diet, web nutrition resources, mineral nutrition, working with the aging Latina/o, exercise for older adults, pressure ulcers, and Parkinson’s. For more information or to receive a brochure, call toll free 1-888-391-4255 or visit http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/conference/. There will be live webcasts for the keynote speeches.

Journal of Aging & Social Policy Special Issue Call for Papers

(June 2, 2008) The Journal of Aging & Social Policy announces a special issue concerned with older workers and aging policy. The issue will address both the feasibility of late life employment (e.g., in terms of appropriate job opportunities and employer incentives, workers’ ability and willingness to remain in or reenter the labor force) as well as relationships between expected demographic trends and current policies and programs. Topics of interest include:

Both research articles and commentaries are welcome. Interested authors should submit a prospectus of no more than two pages in length by September 30, 2008. Manuscripts will be due in January, 2009. The issue will be co-edited by Maximiliane E. Szinovacz, Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, and Philip Taylor, Business, Work and Ageing Centre for Research, Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Please direct inquiries to: Bob Geary, Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston, bob.geary@umb.edu , +1 617 287 7308.

IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing Update

(May 7, 2008) IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing will be held on September 4-7, 2008, in the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. Abstract deadlines have now been extended to May 30, 2008. Over 1,500 researchers, scientists, clinicians, policy and program managers, from over 60 countries, will meet local and international experts from the different fields of design and explore the concepts of “aging at home”. Whether it’s shaping an age-friendly urban development, developing new housing concepts, preventing a person’s fall or ensuring greater community participation, design remains the guiding principle of seniors’ autonomy. Also, the first Expo Ageing & Design Montréal will give participants the opportunity to discover the design solutions that can help meet the needs of an aging population. The exhibition, which will include up to 130 stands, will be a great opportunity for governments, non-government agencies, academic institutions and the business community to develop partnerships, discuss trade, innovations and exports. For more information about this conference, please visit this site, http://www.ageingdesignmontreal.ca/en/intro.php.

Aging in Wisconsin Conference

(May 7, 2008) The Aging in Wisconsin Conference will be held on September 4-5, 2008 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a collaborative effort to provide educational, therapeutic, and networking strategies for anyone working with or interested in older adults. Conference sessions will deal with long-term care, vital aging issues, family issues, work and retirement, mental health, substance abuse and wrap-around services. To realizing the diverse nature of this task, local and state-level service providers, educators, caregivers, policymakers, and administrators will participate in this conference. To view the conference program and registration information, please click on this link, http://www.fsmad.org/WebPages/registerAgingConference.pdf.

RWJ Dissertation Grants

(May 7, 2008) The Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program at the University of Wisconsin is sponsoring another campus-wide competition for Population Health Dissertation Grants. The current competition is for the academic year 2008-2009. Eligible students must be enrolled in any UW-Madison Ph.D. program and be working on a topic in the study of health and society. Since one of RWJ program goals is to expand population health research across campus, priority will be given to applicants outside of the Department of Population Health Sciences. The grant to the student is to be used toward dissertation research, such as for a pilot study, data collection expenses, or other research activities related to the student’s work in health and society. The proposal should clearly state a plan of action, how this award will improve current or planned research, and an explanation of how the money will be used. Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposal, the relevance of the work to expanding knowledge on health and society, and the project’s contribution to expanding research on health and society or population health across campus. Funds must be spent by July 31, 2009, and a final report is due to the RWJF Health & Society Scholars Program by August 31, 2009. In addition, a brief oral presentation will be required at a campus-wide symposium in the late Spring of 2009. There are approximately four $5,000 awards. The application due date is May 30, 2008 and Notification date is June 13, 2008. Please email your proposal (maximum 5 pages), a CV and a brief letter from your advisor to Jane Lambert at jflamber@wisc.edu. For questions about the proposal content or eligibility, contact Dave Kindig at dakindig@wisc.edu. For additional information, please visit the RWJF Health & Society Scholars Program web site at: http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/rwjscholars/.

RWJ Course Development Grants

(May 7, 2008)The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program at the UW-Madison is sponsoring a campus-wide competition for course development grants on “Expanding Interdisciplinary Course Content on Population Health”. Eligible applicants are any UW-Madison faculty member or instructional academic staff. The grant is to be used for 2008 summer support for the course or course component development. The funds are flexible and can be used for faculty or student salary, supplies, etc. (adhering to all UW-Madison guidelines). The proposal should clearly state whether it is a new or existing course, the reason for developing a new course or course component, and the general approach the faculty member intends to take in course development. Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposal and the project’s contribution to expanding teaching on health and society or population health across campus. Funds must be spent by July 31, 2008; a draft of the course outline would be due by September 30, 2008 and a final report (including an assessment of the initial course offering) is due to the RWJF Health & Society Scholars Program by August 31, 2009. In addition, awardees will be expected to make a brief oral presentation at a campus-wide symposium in the late Spring of 2009. There are approximately four $5,000 awards. The application due date is May 12, 2008 and Notification date is May 19, 2008. Please email your proposal (maximum 3 pages) and a CV to Jane Lambert at jflamber@wisc.edu. For modifications of existing courses, please submit the most up-to-date version of the existing course’s syllabus. For questions about the proposal content or eligibility, contact Dave Kindig at dakindig@wisc.edu. For additional information, please visit the RWJF Health & Society Scholars Program web site at: http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/rwjscholars/.

TILDA Health in Aging Conference

(April 17, 2008)The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) health conference will take place on May 29-30, 2008 in Dublin, Ireland. The conference is entitled Health in Ageing: Achievements and Potential of Longitudinal Research. Some of the leading experts on longitudinal ageing studies will be speaking at this event. The conference will assess the contribution that longitudinal studies have made to research on ageing, as well as highlighting the potential directions of such research. Above all it aims to broaden the knowledge base and expertise of researchers, clinicians and policy makers on the science of health, ageing and longevity. For more information about this conference, please visit this site, http://www.tilda.ie/tilda_conference.html.

UW La Follette Spring 2008 Symposium

(April 17, 2008)The topic of this symposium is Health Care Payment Reform and Pay-for-Performance in Wisconsin: How to Promote System Transformation (and What Not to Do). It will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center (1 John Nolen Drive, Madison, Wisconsin) on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 from 1-4:30 PM. keynote speaker is Gwyn Bevan, professor of management science at the London School of Economics. Panelists include Jason Helgerson (Medicaid Director, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Service), Douglas N. Harris (UW-Madison, Educational Policy Studies), Geoffrey Lamb (Associate Director, Joint Quality Office, Medical College of Wisconsin), Carolyn Heinrich and Donald Moynihan (UW-Madison, La Follette School) and Theodore Praxel (Medical Director, Quality Improvement & Care Management, Marshfield Clinic). It is sponsored by La Follette School of Public Affairs, the Evidence-Based Health Policy Project, Population Health Institute, Wisconsin Legislative Council and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy. If you would like to attend this symposium, please RSVP by April 17 to Ceri Jenkins (UW Population Health Institute): cerijenkins@wisc.edu, 608-262-6318.

NIH National Graduate Student Research Festival

(April 4, 2008)The National Institutes of Health will hold a National Graduate Student Research Festival on September 11-12, 2008 in Bethesda, Maryland. The purpose of this festival is to bring together potential postdoctoral candidates and NIH investigators as a means of recruiting these candidates into NIH laboratories. 250 outstanding senior-level graduate students from across the country will present their research through poster sessions. During the festival, the research, resources, and facilities of the NIH will be highlighted in plenary sessions. Students of any nationality who are currently studying in the U.S. and on schedule to complete their PhD degree by October, 2009 are invited to apply. Individuals in MD/PhD programs are welcome to apply if they are planning to proceed immediately to postdoctoral training. Candidates will be reviewed and selected based on abstract submissions, CVs, and a letter of recommendation from their graduate advisor. The application deadline is May 15, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). To apply electronically, please visit this site, http://www.training.nih.gov/.

NIA Job Openings

(March 28, 2008)The National Institute on Aging/NIH is recruiting for 2 Health Scientist Administrators (Scientific Review Officers) to be responsible for the scientific peer review of grant applications (mostly program projects, centers, training grants, conference grants, and career development awards, plus contract proposals) in the behavioral and social sciences. Most of the grant applications the incumbents would be handling in terms of peer review are assigned to the NIA Behavioral and Social Research Program for funding consideration.

To apply and to review details about these GS-13/14 positions and qualification requirements, please visit http://www.usajobs.gov/ and apply on-line to announcement NIA-08-239915-CR-DE (open to all U.S. citizens) and/or NIA-08-239915-CR-MP (open to current and former competitive service Federal employees). For questions about these positions, please contact Lauren Carroll Tedesco via email (carrollla@mail.nih.gov) or phone (301-594-2288). Electronic applications are due by March 25.

Public Presentations on Health Disparities

(March 20, 2008) The UW Comprehensive Cancer Center has announced three public presentations given by their visiting scholars of Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI), http://www.cancer.wisc.edu/uwccc/outreach_CHDI.asp. All the presentation will be held at the University Hospital and Clinics Room G5/119 at 600 Highland Ave in Madison, Wisconsin.

Wednesday March 12, 2008 8-9am
Melissa R. Partin, PhD
"Take Stock, Get Your Bearings, and Mind Your Manners: Lessons Learned From a Cancer Control Researcher on How to Increase Success in Implementation Research and Practice."

Wednesday April 9, 2008 12-1pm
Otis Webb Brawley, MD
"Improving Underserved and Minority Participation in Cancer Clinical Research"

Wednesday April 16, 2008 8-9am
Nancy Krieger, PhD
"The Science and Epidemiology of US Cancer Disparities: Race/Ethnicity, Class, Gender, and the Risk of Cancer"

Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Chicago

(January 17, 2008) The Center on Aging (http://www.src.uchicago.edu/coa) at the University of Chicago has one postdoctoral fellowship in the demography and economics on aging for the 2008-2009 academic year. These two positions are supported by NIA grant. The fellowship pays a stipend based on experience. Health insurance, computing support and travel support will be provided in addition to the stipends. Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Candidates must have completed their Ph.D. by 2008. Assistant professors who would benefit from a year’s leave to focus on research are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit (1) a letter of interest, (2) a statement outlining their research agenda, (3) two letters of recommendation, and (4) a sample of written work or a recent publication. Previous research in demography, population studies or aging research is not necessary; however, a future commitment is required. Application deadline is February 1, 2008. Application materials should be sent to:

Kathleen E. Parks
Assistant Director, Research and Training Academic Research
Center NORC/University of Chicago
1155 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

For more information please contact Kathleen Parks at 773-256-6302 or, by e-mail, at: parks-kathleen@norc.org

NIH Issues Revised Public Access Policy

(January 15, 2008) In response to the recently enacted Consolidate Appropriations Act, 2009, on January 11, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a notice (NOT-OD-08-033). Its Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research (NOT-OD-05-022) has been revised to mandatory, effective April 7, 2008. The notice states:

For more information regarding the NIH Public Access Policy contact the Office of Extramural Research, NIH, 1 Center Drive, Room 144, Bethesda, MD 20892-0152, Email: PublicAccess@nih.gov, or visit the Web site at http://publicaccess.nih.gov.

NIH Supplement Grants

(January 14, 2008) NIH has issued three Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to invite NIH-funded investigators to submit supplement applications to their currently funded research to study how interactions among genetic and behavioral/social factors influence health and disease. This announcement is intended to stimulate theoretically and methodologically rigorous research that address questions of gene-environment-behavior interactions. To be considered responsive to this announcement, (1) the proposed research must include unambiguous, interdisciplinary perspectives, (2) the hypothesis(es) of the relationship(s) between the genetics, behaviors, social environment, and/or social processes must be clearly stated, (3) hypothesis about the proposed study should investigate how the interactions (not associations) among these variables influence the outcomes under study, and (4) the proposed study should be embedded in a well articulated set of research questions or hypothesis generated from genetic, social and/or behavioral sciences research.

To learn how the interactions among genetic, social environments, and behavioral factors could greatly enhance the understanding of health and illness, please check out this Institute of Medicine report, “Genes, Behavior and the Social Environment: Moving Beyond the Nature-Nurture Debate" (http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3740/24591/36574.aspx).

PSID Conference Call for Papers

(January 9, 2007) The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), with support from the National Institute on Aging, announces a call for papers that use PSID data to conduct research in the area of pensions, retirement planning, and financial well-being over the life course. Papers will be presented at a two-day conference on life course financial well-being November 20-21, 2008 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Please send your CV, a 1-3 page abstract describing your study and the PSID data that will be used to Bob Schoeni in care of Patty Hall (pathall@umich.edu) by March 17, 2008. Authors of accepted papers will be required to submit their paper by October 15, 2008 for circulation prior to the conference. One author per selected paper will be funded to attend the conference including transportation and lodging. For more information on the PSID, please visit the website: http://www.psidonline.org.

Sandell Grant Program Solicits Proposals from Junior Scholars

(January 9, 2007) The Steven H. Sandell Grant Program sponsored by the Center for Retirement Research at the Boston College is soliciting proposals from Junior Scholars. This program is funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide opportunities for junior scholars from a wide variety of academic disciplines and senior scholars working in a new area to pursue cutting-edge projects on retirement income issues. Its priority research areas include: Social Security and retirement, macroeconomic analyses of Social Security, wealth and retirement income, program interactions, international research and demographic research. Applicants are required to complete the research outlined in the proposal within one year of the award and to present the results to the Social Security Administration in Washington, D.C. All potential applicants should read the submission guidelines carefully before submitting their proposals through the online submission system. For more information, go to
http://crr.bc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122&Itemid=23. The application deadline is January 31, 2008. Grants will be awarded in March 2008. Please contact Steven A. Sass at 617-552-1402 or steven.sass@bc.edu with your questions.

Creating Aging-Friendly Communities Online Conference

(December 7, 2007) This online conference hosted by the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services at the University of California at Berkeley begins on February 13, 2008. It will feature nationally recognized authorities on aging and community development. This free conference will be conducted entirely over the Internet. Presenters and attendees will participate directly form their computers through a secure web site that includes a variety of collaboration, communication and learning tools. The Creating Aging-Friendly Communities online conference is designed to support individuals and organizations in their planning to make communities more aging-friendly. For more information and to register, go to http://www.agingfriendly.org.

Survival Analysis Seminar

(November 30, 2007) This two-day seminar on Survival Analysis will be taught by Dr. Paul Allison at the Club Quarters Hotel in Washington, DC on January 25-26, 2008. Topics include censoring, Kaplan-Meier estimation, Cox regression, time-dependent covariates, competing risks, discrete-time analysis, heterogeneity, stratification, and repeated events. No previous knowledge of survival analysis is required, although participants should have a good working knowledge of basic principles of statistical inference and linear regression. The course will emphasize applications with SAS, but lecture notes using Stata will also be available. The fee of $650 includes all course materials and a continental breakfast. A block of rooms has been reserved for attendees at the Club Quarters. For more information about this seminar, go to this website, http://www.StatisticalHorizons.com.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Michigan

(November 30, 2007) The Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan is searching to fill several two-year postdoctoral positions sponsored by NIH. Appointments will begin on or about September 1, 2008. Fellows devote most of their time to independent research. There are many opportunities for collaboration with ongoing projects, including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Applicants must have a Ph.D. in demography, public health, or one of the social sciences (sociology, economics, anthropology). Some background in aging is desirable for the positions sponsored by NIA, but not required. Eligibility is restricted to U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents. Applicants must have completed the Ph.D. before fellowship support can begin. Screening of applications will start on January 14, 2008 and will continue until the positions are filled. Additional information about the Population Studies Center is available on our website at http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu. Please send your letter of application, curriculum vitae, 1-2 page statement of research interests, examples of written work and three letters of recommendation in PDF format via email to Heather MacFarland (hmacfarl@umich.edu).

IFA’s 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing Design

(November 30, 2007) This conference will be hosted by a newly created non-governmental organization known as Ageing Design Montréal (ADM) from September 4 to 7, 2008, in the Palais des congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Canada. The IFA’s 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing & Design will offer a global forum for informed discussions on major ageing issues and show the impact design has on the health, participation and security of older people worldwide. Anyone wishing to attend the Conference as a presenter will be able to submit his or her abstract through the ADM website, http://www.ageingdesignmontreal.ca beginning November 26, 2007. For more information, please contact Ageing Design Montréal at info@vdm-adm.ca.

Imaging the Aging Brain & the Potential Benefits of Physical Exercise

(November 30, 2007) Dr. Scott Small from the School of Physicians and Surgeons in Columbia University will give a lecture on age-related memorial decline at 12:05 P.M. on Friday, December 7, 2007 in Room 1140 Gym-Nat (2000 Observatory Drive) on UW-Madison campus. Dr. Small, a neuroscientist and neurologist with his research team has been able to pinpoint specific areas of the brain that appear to be ‘hotspots’ underlying cognitive aging. His lecture will also review some of his recent studies suggesting that physical exercise may ameliorate age-related memory decline. This lecture is a part of the Julia Brown Lecture Series at the P.E. Activity Program in the Department of Kinesiology.

Carolina Population Center Postdoctoral Scholar

(October 23, 2007) Carolina Population Center is accepting applications for its Postdoctoral Scholar Training Program in Demography of Aging and the Life Course with a start-date during the period December 2007 - February 2008. The position is a one-year appointment with renewal for a second year based on progress in the program. Candidates with a background in population science and doctorates from disciplines such as sociology, economics, biostatistics, epidemiology, and public health are encouraged to apply. All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed by February 28, 2008. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. To apply, please submit the following via email to Jan Hendrickson-Smith (jhsmith@unc.edu), CPC Training Program Coordinator:

Responsible Conduct of Research Seminars

(October 23, 2007) The University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School offers several seminars on research ethics in November and December. These seminars are designed to make sure all researchers on the campus comply with federal, state and University research regulations. Seminar topics include: research misconduct, opportunities and challenges associated with large collaborative projects, authorship, peer review, and responsible publishing, mentor/trainee responsibilities, outside activity reporting (OAR) & financial conflict of interest, ownership of the results of research and guidelines for keeping laboratory notebooks. For dates and locations of these research ethics seminars, please see this listing, http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/outreach/flyerfinal07-08.pdf. To register online, click this link, https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/ohrd/ohrdcatalogportal/default.aspx?tabid=29&serieskey=289

RWJ Scholars in Health Policy Research Program Calls for Applications

(September 19, 2007) The Robert Wood Johnson Scholars in Health Policy Research Program announces a call for applications. Each year, this Program selects up to 12 outstanding young social scientists to spend two years in residence at one of three nationally prominent universities: Harvard University; the University of California, Berkeley (in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco); or the University of Michigan. Individuals eligible to apply must either be citizens of the U.S. and its territories or have permanent residency status at the time of application, and must have received a PhD in economics, political science, or sociology after January 1, 2003, but no later than July 15, 2008. Preference is given to applicants who have not previously worked in health-related research. The deadline for applications is October 22, 2007. Additional details about the Program are available at this web site: http://www.healthpolicyscholars.org.

OnTheMap

(September 6, 2007) The Local Employment Dynamics (LCD) provides OnTheMap, a web-based mapping application that shows the geographic relationship between where people live and where they work. It also produces companion reports on workers' age, their earnings, industry distributions, and local workforce indicators. Currently OnTheMap version 2.2 has three years, 2002-2004 of labor market information covering 33 states, (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.) Visit OnTheMap site, http://lehdmap2.did.census.gov/themap/ and give this mapping tool a try.

2008 Conference on Global Health Workforce Call for Abstracts

(September 18, 2007) The 2008 Berkeley Conference on the Global Health Workforce: from Evidence and Research to Public and Health Care Industry Policy has a call for abstracts. This conference is organized by the Global Center for Health Economics and Policy Research (GCHEPR) at the University of California, Berkeley along with the WHO, World Bank, and Kaiser Permanente. It will be held in the Berkeley City Club on April 4-5, 2008. Researchers are invited to submit their 500 words or less abstracts to Amy Nuttbrock at amynuttbrock@berkeley.edu before October 19, 2007. For more information about this conference, please visit the GCHEPR web site, http://www.gchepr.org/. If you are interested in attending the conference as a guest, please also RSVP by email to Amy Nuttbrock.

19th Annual Colloquium on Aging

(August 29, 2007) The University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute on Aging will present its 19th Annual Colloquium on Aging on October 18 in Monona Terrace and Convention Center. This is a free event but requires pre-registration. To request a brochure, please call 608-261-1493. Conference topics include emotion regulation in later life, low vitamin D epidemic in Wisconsin, stroke prevention and risk factors for dementia. For more information, visit this site, http://aging.wisc.edu/outreach/colloquium.php.

Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Poverty Center

(August 22, 2007) The National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in the University of Michigan is accepting applicants for Postdoctoral Fellowships. Fellows will participate in a number of seminars on Poverty Research and will be supervised by Sheldon Danziger, Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of the National Poverty Center. During the fellowship period, scholars receive stipends of $48,000 per calendar year, beginning as early as July 1, 2008, but no later than September 1, 2008. Applicants must have completed their Ph.D. after 2002 and prior to August 31, 2008. American minority scholars and other scholars who are members of a group that is underrepresented in the social sciences are invited to apply for these fellowships. Application Deadline is January 11, 2008. Applications can be downloaded from this site, http://www.fordschool.umich.edu/research/poverty/fellowship_opps.html

PSID Pilot Grant Competition

(August 22, 2007) The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) announces a pilot grant competition to provide funding to 5-10 scholars in the range of $5,000-$20,000 (direct costs) each. Projects are required to use PSID data to conduct research in the area of pensions, private accounts, and retirement savings over the life course. Papers generated from these pilot projects will be presented at a two-day conference on life course financial well-being in the fall of 2008. Applicants must hold a doctorate from an accredited institution and have an appointment as faculty, research scientist, professor, investigator, or postdoctoral fellow. A 3-5 page proposal should include the specific aims, background and significance, preliminary studies, research design, a timeline and simple budget. The PSID data that will be used in the study should be clearly described. Please send proposals to Bob Schoeni in care of Patty Hall (pathall@umich.edu) no later than October 19, 2007. For additional information please contact Bob Schoeni (bschoeni@umich.edu) or Patty Hall (pathall@umich.edu). To learn more about PSID, please visit this web site, http://www.psidonline.org.

UWPHI Call for Posters

(July 31, 2007) University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has sent out a call for posters for its Biennial Conference on November 29-30, 2007. The conference will be held at Country Springs Inn in Waukesha Wisconsin. "Improving Wisconsin's Health: Prevention, Policy and Priorities for Research" is the conference theme. Special areas of interest include State-of-the-art epidemiology and surveillance act ivies; Evidence-based health promotion, injury and disease prevention, and disparity reduction initiatives; Access to healthcare and workforce issues; the Business of health care and its role in improving population health outcomes. Potential participants are required to submit an abstract (limited to 250 words) for each poster to jhart3@wisc.edu by September 7, 2007. The poster will need to fit on a board the is 45"x91". To view the call for posters announcement, please follow this link, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/docs/UWPHIPosters.pdf.

WLS Turns 50

(July 25, 2007) Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) turns 50 this year. To celebrate this special occasion, WLS researchers are attending the 50th reunions of their respondents who graduated from high school in 1957. These group of respondents have shared their life experiences with WLS researchers for five decades. Researches done with WLS surveys data have a profound impact on public policies and practices in our society. A WLS hallmark is its high response rates (approaching 90%). Respondents' enthusiasm has made WLS a successful project. Several news media have feature articles about the Happy Days Cohort and their long-term participation in this important social science research project. Wisconsin News has this article, http://www.news.wisc.edu/13941. Wisconsin State Journal features this story, http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=202367. ABC News looks at the cohort's life stories in the context of major events, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3410047&page=1 To learn more about WLS project, visit this site, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wls/.

De Jong Lecture in Social Demography

(June 27, 2007) The De Jong Lecture in Social Demography will be held at Penn State on October 22, 2007. Alberto Palloni, Ph.D., professor of Population and International Studies in the Department of Sociology, at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and president of the Population Association of America, will be the featured speaker. The topic is "Social Class Health and Mortality Differentials: Are There Important Selection Effects?"

Dr. Palloni will discuss the role of an important conjecture that is purported to explain the persistent, large, and ubiquitous disparities in health and mortality by social class. Discussants include Duane Alwin, Director of Penn State's Center on Population Health and Aging at Penn State, and Dalton Conley, University Professor of the Social Sciences and Chair of Sociology at New York University. Free registration is at http://www.pop.psu.edu/events/dejonglecture/.

NIA Cognitive Aging Summit

(June 21, 2007) The Cognitive Aging Summit will be held in Washington, D.C. on October 10-11, 2007. This summit is organized by the National Institute on Aging and made possible by the McKnight Brain Research Foundation through a generous grant to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. It will bring together a range of experts in a variety of research fields to discuss the most cutting edge advances in our understanding of age-related brain and behavioral changes. The primary goals are to advance and integrate knowledge bases, methods, and perspectives on aging and cognition, and to identify the most promising areas of translational research for maintenance of cognitive health throughout life. Conference registration details and logistics will be available in the near future.

Restricted MEPS Data available at Census Bureau Research Data Centers

(June 13, 2007) The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) has reached agreement with the Census Bureau to make AHRQ's restricted Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data available to qualified researchers through the Census Research Data Center (RDC) network. The RDC network currently consists of 9 regional data centers in NY, NC, MI, IL, MD, CA, and MA. For more information on the Census Bureau Research Data Centers please visit this site, http://www.ces.census.gov/.

Proposals will be accepted by the Center for Economic Studies (CES) beginning July 1, 2007 to use AHRQ data sets. AHRQ will handle all proposal review and disclosure avoidance review for RDC projects using AHRQ data. If a researcher chooses to use a Census Bureau RDC for their project, the standard AHRQ data center fee will be waived. Standard Census RDC access charges, if any, will apply. Proposals to use AHRQ data at a Census Bureau RDC will be subject to the standard Census RDC proposal process, but will not have to meet Census Bureau standards, just AHRQ standards (Proposals to use confidential data from both the Census Bureau and the AHRQ must use the existing Census Bureau application procedure, and will also be reviewed by AHRQ, and the Internal Revenue Service if tax data is involved.)

For more information on the proposal process or the datasets, see the AHRQ data center web site at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/onsite_datacenter.jsp

1. Household Component-Insurance Component linked file (1996-1999, 2001)
2. Nursing Home Component (1996)
3. Medical Provider Component (except directly identifiable data)
4. Two-Year, Two-Panel Files
5. Area Resource File (county-level data that can be linked to MEPS-HC)
6. MEPS-HC Public Use Files

Population Health and Health Disparities Data

(June 1, 2007) Researchers at RAND have created a group of data sets which they call the Center for Population Health and Health Disparities (CPHHD) Data Core. The CPHHD Data Core houses a large number of measures derived for a variety of substantive areas in several distinct data series including: Cost-of-Living, Disability, Pollution, Population and Housing Characteristics, Segregation Indices, and Street Connectivity. The number and comprehensiveness of the measures derived within each series vary according to the expansiveness of the substantive area.

The time periods for which these data are available are 1990-2000, though data are available for years before and after this time frame, depending upon the series. Data are available for various geographic summarization levels including: census tract, county (FIPs and geographic), and MSA (geographic). In addition, the data have been put in terms of two temporal definitions of geography, either in terms of 1990 or 2000 geographical definitions. To facilitate ease of use, the series are available in several physical data formats including: SAS, Stata, and CSV formats. Users need to register with RAND before they can access these data sets. To learn more about these data, visit this site, http://www.rand.org/health/centers/pophealth/data.html.

Happy 50th Anniversary, National Health Interview Survey

(June 1, 2007) National Health Interview Survey's 50th anniversary Commemorative Conference will be held on Monday, June 25, 2007 at the National Center for Health Statistics Auditorium in Hyattsville, Maryland. There is no registration fee for the conference, people interested in attending this celebration shall submit their registration forms ASAP at this web site, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhis/nhis_fifty.htm, because the space is limited. For conference program, check out this document, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/June_25_program_4_6_07.pdf. Please contact Brenda LaRochelle (BLaRochelle@cdc.gov), for help or additional information.

Post Doctoral training Program in Minority Aging and Health

(May 29, 2007) The Sealy Center on Aging at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas has openings for post-doctoral positions for the 2007/8 academic year. This position is for research focusing on the health of older minorities, with an emphasis on older Hispanics. Fellows collaborate with any of more than 15 Center faculty who have over $42 million in research funding pertaining to minority health and aging in the areas of medical and rehabilitation outcomes, health service utilization, social epidemiology, population health disparities, psychosocial stress, and health promotion. This fellowship is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging. Stipends range from $37,000-$51,000 based on experience. All fellows receive full health care benefits. Screening of applications will continue until the position is filled. All fellows must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents. The fellowship training period can begin in July, August, or September 2007. Fellowship appointments are for one year, but may be renewed for a second year. Please visit UTMB's web site at www.utmb.edu/aging/ for more information.

Applicants should send a letter stating research interests, relevant prior training, and a curriculum vitae to:

Karl Eschbach, Ph.D.
Sealy Center on Aging
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas 77555-0460
Phone: 409-747-3516
Fax: 409-772-8931
Email: kaeschba@utmb.edu

Emerging Employment Patterns at Older Ages

(May 29, 2007) Research on Aging announces a call for papers for a special issue on Emerging Employment
Patterns at Older Ages to be guest edited by Richard W. Johnson of the Urban Institute. In this special issue, papers focusing on employment patterns and trends at older ages and their determinants will be featured. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) differences in employment patterns and trends among different subgroups of the older population; patterns and trends in partial retirement and post-retirement employment; the characteristics of post-retirement jobs; trends in job demands; the impact of health insurance, health status, job characteristics, and pension and Social Security incentives on retirement decisions; and family influences on work decisions at older ages, such as the impact of caregiving responsibilities and spousal employment. Studies that focus on employer practices, including the recruitment and hiring of older workers and the availability of phased retirement programs, are also welcome.

Inquiries about this special issue may be directed to the guest editor, Richard W. Johnson, Urban Institute, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 (email: rjohnson@ui.urban.org).

Submissions should be sent to: Angela M. O’Rand, Editor, Research on Aging, Department of Sociology, Box 90088, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708. The deadline is October 1, 2007, although submissions before that date will receive immediate attention.

National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference

(May 4, 2007) The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative is accepting applications from active researchers to participate in "The Future of Human Healthspan: Demography, Evolution, Medicine, and Bioengineering," a conference to be held Nov. 14-16, 2007, in Irvine, California. Applications must be submitted by June 7, and those selected to attend the conference will receive an invitation by July 15. The Futures Initiative will pay all travel expenses, including lodging and meals, for invited attendees. Approximately 100 researchers in the United States will be invited to attend the conference, representing disciplines in science, engineering, medicine, and social science. For application procedures and requirements, please visit www.keckfutures.org/healthspan.

The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative was funded by a $40 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation in 2003. Its goal is to enhance communication among researchers, funding organizations, universities, and the general public with the objective of stimulating interdisciplinary research at the most exciting frontiers. The Futures Initiative incorporates three core activities each year: Futures conferences, Futures grants, and National Academies Communication Awards. the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative will award seed grants on a competitive basis to researchers who attend the conference. The call for proposals will be announced at the November conference about $1 million in grants will be awarded in April 2008.

Health Innovation Program Seminar

(May 1, 2007) David Durenberger, Chairman of the National Institute of Health Policy and former Senator from Minnesota, will be speaking on "Health Care and Policy: Leadership for a Change" on Friday, May 18 at noon in Room 1335 Health Sciences Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He will focus his remarks on the "Road to Value" speaking about pay-for-peformance and other strategies. NIHP is a program of the University of St. Thomas. It plays a unique role in health care reform in the United States. NIHP members are health care, health plan, and business organizations from six states in the Upper Midwest. Its goal is to change the health care system from the inside out and thereby to influence national health policy change.

National Long-Term Care Survey Summer Workshop

(April 24, 2007) The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging (NACDA) offers a free workshop on using the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS), 1982-2004 Waves. The workshop runs from June 4-8 at the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) in the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. NLTCS offers an unique capacity to estimate health transitions across the aged population for non-institutionalized and institutionalized persons alike. Among many other indicators, the study collects information on both health transitions and health service utilization allowing for the complex examination of how these factors interrelate. The course will cover linkage issues, weighting, and study attrition. Work by the NACDA Program on Aging provides simplified access and manipulation of these important data, and key changes to the structure and organization of the data will be reviewed. Applications must include a vita and cover letter summarizing research interests, course objectives, and experience. Individuals applying for this course should check the Competitive Three- to Five-Day box on the ICPSR application form. Application materials are due by April 27, 2007. For more information about this workshop, visit this site, http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog/courses/2007-03-45.html.

International Research Scientist Development Awards

(April 24, 2007) These NIH career development (K01) awards support U.S. postdoctoral biomedical, epidemiological, clinical, social and behavioral scientists in the formative stages of their careers to conduct research in developing countries. This program will provide the successful candidates with a three- to four-year period of intensive mentored research, leading to an independent research career focused on global health. Such research must be directly linked to an established collaboration between a U.S. mentor/sponsor and a leading developing country scientist at an internationally recognized research institution in a developing country. Collaborations are expected to lead to advances that will reduce the impact of global health problems and narrow the gap in health disparities between developed and developing countries. Awardees who obtain a tenure track position may submit a competitive renewal application for up to three years of additional mentored career development support. For details about this announcement, please read this document, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-014.html.

NIH Network and Internet Explorer 7

(April 24, 2007) NIH Network does NOT support Internet Explorer 7 (IE) which is the default web browser included in Windows Vista. There are some compatibility and technical issues with IE7. NBS and eRA on the NIH Network don't work with IE7. Program managers at NIH are working on this matter but do not yet have an estimate when this will be resolved.

Trans-NIH Inflammation Working Group Seeks Public Comments

(April 24, 2007) Many diseases result from uncontrolled inflammation, but the capability to intervene in the inflammatory disease process is currently limited. In January 2007, the NIH Institute and Centers Directors identified inflammation as a key area of public health in need of broad-based collaborative research. Subsequently a trans-NIH Inflammation Working Group was formed and its members have identified major needs in inflammation research, principally the capability to understand complex inflammatory conditions utilizing systems biology tools, development of predictive biomarkers and identification of targets for new anti-inflammatory drugs. A proposal for new research initiatives has been published by the working group. Researchers are invited to comment on the major concepts in the proposal by May 3, 2007. For more information, please visit this site, http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/inflammation/index.asp

Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging Conference

(April 23, 2007) The thirteenth annual Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging conference will be held on Thursday September 13, 2007 at the Pyle Center in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This conference is co-sponsored by the Institute on Aging. Dr. Mark Sager of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health will present information on Alzheimer's and nutrition in his keynote speech. There are a variety of interesting and practical seminars. To view to the conference program, click this link: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/home/NutritionAging2007.pdf. For more information, call toll free 1-888-391-4255 or visit http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/conference/.

USPS Administrative Data

(April 23, 2007) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has entered into an agreement with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to receive quarterly aggregate data on addresses identified by the USPS as having been "vacant" or "No-Stat" in the previous quarter. HUD is making these data available for researchers and practitioners to explore their potential utility for tracking neighborhood change on a quarterly basis. The potential power of these data is that they represent the universe of all addresses in the United States and are updated every three months. Under the agreement with the USPS, HUD can make the data available publicly at the Census Tract level provided users agree to the terms and conditions of the click-on sublicense. For more information and data access, see http://www.huduser.org/datasets/usps.html

MIDUS Grant Competition

(April 10, 2007) Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) project has two grants available for researchers who plan to use MIDUS data to conduct innovative interdisciplinary research on adult health and well-being. This grant competition has an emphasis on integrative approaches to understanding life course and subgroup variations in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive functioning. All research must be based on the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) I or II data sets, or its satellite studies including the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and sibling/twin subsample studies. Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to investigators from a variety of disciplines. Application deadline is July 9, 2007 and awardees will be notified by August 13, 2007.

For complete information about the application requirements and the MIDUS
study, please visit this site, http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~carrds/midus/midus_home.htm

Applications and inquiries should be sent to:

Dr. Deborah Carr
Department of Sociology and
Center for Demography of Health and Aging
University of Wisconsin
1180 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Email: carr@ssc.wisc.edu
Telephone: 608-262-9856

NCHS extramural research program funding

(March 2, 2007) The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the Nation's principal health statistics agency, just announced several funding opportunities for their extramural research program. This initiative-based program focuses on 1) survey research methodology and statistics and 2) expanding the use of NCHS data sets used alone or in conjunction with other data sets.

Virginia S. Cain, Ph.D.
Director of Extramural Research
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road, Room 7211
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Phone: 301-458-4395
Fax: 301-458-4020
E-mail: vcain@cdc.gov

NHIS Poster Competition

(February 23, 2007) The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) invites entries for a poster competition in the celebration of the National Health Interview Survey’s (NHIS) 50th Anniversary. Last day for poster contest submissions is Thursday, March 15, 2007. NHIS has been fielded continuously since 1957. To mark the 50th anniversary of NHIS, NCHS is holding a one-day conference on June 25, 2007 at its home site in Hyattsville, Maryland. Watch our Web site for further information on registering for the anniversary celebration: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhis/nhis_fifty.htm.

All past and present users of the NHIS are invited to enter a poster competition. The winners will each receive up to $1,500 to cover travel expenses to attend the anniversary celebration. To enter the competition, send a description of how you have used NHIS data or analyses successfully to solve a research problem, to evaluate a policy, to teach a class, to write a report, etc. NCHS likes to hear how the NHIS has been used, directly or indirectly, to improve public health. Please do not include new projects that you are planning. NCHS is interested in productive use of the NHIS over its 50-year lifespan for this occasion.

Please send your competition entries to Brenda LaRochelle by post or e-mail. Entries must be received by March 15, 2007, and winners will be announced on April 1, 2007.

Brenda LaRochelle
3311 Toledo Road, room 2207
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
Phone: 301-458-4686
E-mail: BLaRochelle@cdc.gov

Health Policy Research Awards

(February 1, 2007) The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invites applications for its Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research. This award program is designed to support scholars from a range of fields who have broad projects that can enhance policy to improve health or health care in the U.S. Unlike most NIH or NSF funding opportunities, the program, which now provides grants of up to $335,000, is not intended to support a discrete research project but rather to allow a scholar to devote considerable time to a project of greater scope than the usual RO1 grant. The program also offers an unusual opportunity to meet, interact, and often collaborate with outstanding scholars in fields including medicine, economics, political science, sociology, law, epidemiology, history, public health, and journalism among others. For application details, please visit this site, http://www.investigatorawards.org/applications/default.asp?s=2. The deadline for sending 4-page letters of intent is March 28, 2007.

Wisconsin eHealth Summit

(February 1, 2007) Wisconsin's eHealth Action Plan Implementation Summit will be held at the Fluno Center for Executive Education in Madison on Thursday, March 15, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This summit is convened by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services in partnership with Population Health Institute, UW School of Medicine & Public Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin. For summit program, please check out this ebrochure, http://media.med.wisc.edu/proofs/ehealth/index.html. It is free to attend. Please register at this site, https://secure.uwex.edu/semtek/register/reg_special.cfm?sessionid=W07T4134007016&groupid=ARG.

Short Course in Biodemography

(January 22, 2007) The University of Colorado Population Center (CUPC) and Institute of Behavioral Science will offer a summer short course in biodemoraphy from June 11-15, 2007 in Boulder, Colorado. This course is open to all graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty from any institution. The CUPC will provide a stipend to pay for travel to and from the short course and lodging (if necessary) during participants' stay in Boulder. Speakers include Maxine Weinstein, Eileen Crimmins, Noreen Goldman, Michael Stallings, Tom Johnson, Deqing Wu and Jane Menken.

Application for this short course should be emailed to Jason Boardman (boardman@colorado.edu) by April 6th. It should include a current vita, a one-page letter of interest that includes applicant's current position (e.g, graduate student, post-doc, or faculty), and at least one reference (please include the email address of this reference; there is no need for a formal letter of recommendation). Decisions will be made by April 21. To learn more about this short course, please visit its web site, http://www.colorado.edu/ibs/cupc/short_courses/biodemography/

NIA Demography Centers Portal

(January 22, 2007) The NIA Demography Centers portal, http://agingcenters.org/ has a new look. Its contents have been reorganized to provide users a quick gateway to the thirteen P30 Centers on the Demography of Aging at leading universities and policy organizations around the U.S. These centers are supported by the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the National Institute on Aging. Their researches cover demography, economics, and epidemiology of aging. Users can easily find information on workshops, conferences, newsletters, reports, pilot projects, training programs, data resource development and other interesting projects conducted in these centers via this portal.

Aging and Cancer Pilot Project Competition

(December 20, 2006) The Aging and Cancer Program at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC) is looking for pilot projects on the topic of aging and cancer. The program intends to stimulate the development of research programs examining the Aging/Cancer interface in order to obtain preliminary data for major research grant applications. Research projects with a focus on areas such as, patterns of care, effect of comorbidity, psychosocial issues, palliative care and biology of aging and cancer are encouraged to enter this competition. The deadline for proposal submission is March 15, 2007. Applications should be submitted electronically via e-mail to the Program Director, Dr. Richard Weindruch, at: rhweindr@wisc.edu. The proposal should be brief, structured like an NIH R01 application. To review the competition announcement and application instructions, check out this link, http://www.cancer.wisc.edu/uwccc/documents/Aging_P20_Pilot_Announcement.pdf

NCHS/AcademyHealth 2007 Fellowship

(December 20, 2006) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and AcademyHealth are seeking applications for their 2007 Health Policy Fellowship. The fellowship aims to foster collaboration between NCHS staff and visiting scholars on a wide range of topics of mutual concern. It allows visiting scholars to conduct new and innovative analyses and participate in developmental and health policy activities related to the design and content of future NCHS surveys and offers access to the data resources provided by the CDC. Applicants may be at any stage in their career from doctoral students to senior investigators. Doctoral students must have completed course work and be at the dissertation phase of their program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or able to acquire a valid work authorization. To learn more about the fellowship, please visit this site, http://www.academyhealth.org/nchs. Applications are due on January 8, 2007.

Health Economist position at NIH/NIA

(December 13, 2006) The Behavioral and Social Research Program (BSR) at the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Aging is recruiting a Health Economist as a Health Scientist Administrator (HSA) or a Health Program Specialist (HPS). HSA candidates must have a PhD (or its equivalent by January 2008) in health economics, pharmaco-economics, econometrics, and/or economic demography. HPS candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related area but master’s degree preferred. Advanced research skills related to economic evaluations and burden of illness/disease measurement, experience in economics methods, and knowledge of large-scale longitudinal studies and surveys are sought. This position is posted at USAJOBs site, http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ with Vacancy Announcement Numbers, NIA-07-154080-DE and NIA-07-155764-MP (for HSA) and NIA-07-155742-DE and NIA-07-155753-MP (for HPS). Application materials must be received by February 16, 2007. Please contact Cheryl Caponiti at 301-594-2147 or caponitc@mail.nih.gov, if you need additional information on application procedures.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at University of Chicago

(December 6, 2006) The Center on Aging (http://www.src.uchicago.edu/coa) at the University of Chicago has two postdoctoral fellowships in the demography and economics on aging for the 2007-2008 academic year. These two positions are supported by NIA grant. The fellowship pays a stipend based on experience with stipends ranging from $36,996 to $51,036 depending upon experience. Health insurance, computing support and travel support will be provided in addition to the stipends. Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Candidates must have completed their Ph.D. by 2007. Assistant professors who would benefit from a year’s leave to focus on research are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit (1) a letter of interest, (2) a statement outlining their research agenda, (3) two letters of recommendation, and (4) a sample of written work or a recent publication. Previous research in demography, population studies or aging research is not necessary; however, a future commitment is required. Application deadline is February 1, 2007. Application materials should be sent to:

Kathleen E. Parks
Assistant Director, Research and Training Academic Research
Center NORC/University of Chicago
1155 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
773.256.6313 (fax)
773.256.6302

Please contact Kathleen Parks (parks-kathleen@norc.uchicago.edu) for any questions about this fellowship.

38th Summer Seminar on Population

(October 4, 2006) The East-West Center, Population and Health Studies, will hold its 38th annual Summer Seminar from May 29 thru June 29, 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii. There are three concurrent workshops. 1. Population, Development, and Policy: The Economic Payoffs of Population Change 2. Livable Cities in Pacific Asia: Research Methods for Policy Analysis and 3. Communicating with Policymakers about Population and Health. Each workshop will focus on Asia and the Pacific, but participation from other developing areas and the United States is most welcome. Application deadline is December 31, 2006. For more information, please visit the seminar web site:
http://www.eastwestcenter.org/events-ce-detail.asp?conf_ID=563

ICPSR Undergraduate Research Paper Competition

(October 2, 2006) The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) just announced a new annual Undergraduate Research Paper Competition. Undergraduate students from ICPSR member institutions are encouraged to submit their research papers on quantitative analysis using datasets held within the ICPSR archive. Three papers will be chosen and their authors will be awarded with cash prizes. The winner will receive $1,000. Second place receives $750 and third place $500. Deadline for submission is January 31, 2007. Details on the competition can be found at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/prize/.

The Women’s Health Initiative: A Data Workshop

(September 21, 2006) This workshop will be held on Thursday afternoon on November 16, 2006 in Dallas Texas as one of the pre-conference workshops for the Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) annual meeting. The goal of this workshop is to familiarize GSA members with the Women’s Health Initiative Data. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991 to address the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. The WHI addressed cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. The WHI was a 15 year multi-million dollar endeavor, and one of the largest U.S. prevention studies of its kind. The three major components of the WHI were a randomized controlled clinical trial of promising but unproven approaches to prevention, an observational study to identify predictors of disease and a study of community approaches to developing healthful behaviors. The cost for GSA members to attend this workshop is $50.00 (Non-GSA members $60.00). For more information about this workshop and GSA conference, please visit this site, http://www.agingconference.com/2006_preconference_workshops.cfm.

Penn State's Annual Symposium on Family Issues

(September 11, 2006) Penn State's 14th annual Symposium on Family Issues will be held on October 5-6, 2006 in the Nittany Lion Inn at Penn State. Intergenerational caregiving is the focus for this symposium. Nowadays, American families have encountered many changes, such as, divorce, remarriage, cohabitation, non-marital childbearing, smaller family size, and longer life expectancy. These changes have added complexity to intergenerational relationships. It is important to understand how adult siblings, including step-siblings, negotiate intergenerational caregiving roles. 16 top scholars in gerontology, sociology, economics, demography, and human development from major institutions will present their research. This symposium provides the integration of perspectives from multiple social sciences and addresses policy implications as well. Information and registration at http://www.pop.psu.edu/events/symposium/2006.htm or contact Carolyn Scott (814)863-6806, css7@psu.edu.

NIA Technical Assistance Workshop

(July 10, 2006) On November 16-17, 2006, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) will hold the Technical Assistance Workshop for Minority and Emerging Scientists and Students. This two-day interactive forum gives the minority and emerging scientists and students an opportunity to receive feedback from NIA staff on their current or planned research as well as general information about applying for NIA grants. The workshop will be held immediately prior to the annual scientific meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in Dallas, Texas.

Members from groups under-represented in aging research and investigators committed to research careers related to minority aging issues are encouraged to send in their applications by Monday, July 17, 2006. Applicants should be pre- or post-doctoral students or recent recipients of Ph.D., M.D. or related doctoral degrees; new to the NIH application process and/or embarking on an independent program of research; investigators with less than five years of research experience; and U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or permanent residents. For information and application forms, please contact Jamie Gulin at 301-496-0765 or GulinJ@nia.nih.gov.

FICCDAT 2nd Call for Abstracts

(July 7, 2006) Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT) will be held from June 16-19, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. FICCDAT is the first event of this kind in the world. It brings together five international conferences related to disability and to aging under one roof. These five conferences are Growing Older with a Disability; Advances in Neurorehabilitation; 2nd International Conference on Technology & Aging (ICTA); Caregivers: Essential Partners in Care; and Improving Medical Device Usability (30th CMBES Conference). This joint conference is for all researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, consumers, caregivers and businesses concerned about people with disabilities who are copying and people aging into disability.

A call for abstracts is posted at FICCDAT site, http://www.ficcdat.ca. Please submit a 250 word abstract of a paper or poster using an online at FICCDAT site. The deadline is November 6, 2006. You can submit as many papers to as many of the conferences as you choose because you will only be required to register in one conference but will be allowed to present in all.

International Research Conference on Social Security

(July 7, 2006) International Social Security Association just sent out a call for papers for its 5th international conference, "Social security and the labour market: A mismatch?". The Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) will host the conference from March 5 t0 7, 2007 in Warsaw, Poland. This conference intends to cover five major topics:

4. The prevailing focus on work: Making social security more employment-friendly

The new deadline for abstract submissions and attendance grant applications is August 20 of 2006. Notification of accepted papers and attendance grant awardees will be sent out in late August in 2006. For details about this conference, please visit this site, http://www.issa.int/engl/reunion/2007/Warsaw/2warsaw.htm.

UCLA Summer Institute on Longitudinal Research

(May 17, 2006) The Center for Advancing Longitudinal Drug Abuse Research (CALDAR) will host a conference/research seminar on August 14-16 at the Anderson School of Management in the University of California, Los Angeles. Current findings and future directions in longitudinal research on drug and alcohol abuse, HIV, mental health, and criminal justice will be addressed at the one-day conference on August 14. The following two-day seminar offers intensive instruction on research methodology. Applied statistical training sessions including multilevel linear modeling, latent class and latent transition analysis, structural equation modeling, and growth curve modeling will be offered. For more information about CALDAR summer institute, please visit this site, http://www.caldar.org/html/summer-institute.html.

NIH National Graduate Student Research Festival

(May 3, 2006) The National Institutes of Health will hold a National Graduate Student Research Festival on October 12-13, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a PhD program in the U.S. and on schedule to complete their PhD degree by October, 2007. Candidates will be reviewed and selected based on abstract submissions, CVs, and a letter of recommendation from their graduate advisor. The application deadline is June 1, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. (EST). To apply electronically, please visit this site, http://www.training.nih.gov/webforms/postdoctoral/application/RFestivalApp.aspx
The purpose of this festival is to bring together potential postdoctoral candidates and NIH investigators as a means of recruiting these candidates into NIH laboratories. 250 outstanding senior-level graduate students from across the country will present their research through poster sessions. During the festival, the research, resources, and facilities of the NIH will be highlighted in plenary sessions. For more information, please visit this site, http://www.training.nih.gov.

Penn State's Annual Symposium on Family Issues

(April 24, 2006) The Center for Demography of Health and Aging at the Penn State University will present its 14th annual Symposium on Family Issues on October 5-6, 2006. "Caring and Exchange Within and Across Generations" is the focus of this symposium. Lead speakers include Kathleen McGarry (Economics, UCLA), Donald Cox (Economics, Boston College), Karl Pillemer (Human Development, Cornell), and Steven Nock (Sociology, U. of Virginia). Information and registration can be found at http://www.pop.psu.edu/events/symposium/2006.htm.

Chicago Biomarker Workshop

(April 24, 2006) The 4th annual Chicago Biomarker Workshop "Biomarkers of Social and Health Behavior: Social Influences and Biological Processes" will be held June 8th and June 9th, 2006 at the Gleacher Center in the University of Chicago. The deadline for registration is May 1st, 2006. For information about this workshop, go to this site, http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/chicagobiomarkerworkshop.htm. If you are interested in attending this workshop, visit this online registration page, http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/Reg2006.Asp. Please note that the registration is password protected. When you access the registration page, use the username: Registor and copy and paste the password: Reg4cCb@r.

Global Partnerships for Social Science AIDS Research Grants

(April 17, 2006) Global Partnerships for Social Science AIDS Research funding, RFA-HD-06-007 is available from the National Institutes of Health. This RFA is a collaborative effort among NIA, NICHD and NIMH. The new RFA calls for collaborative applications between U.S. (or other developed country) institutions and institutions in countries hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The initiative is designed to enhance capabilities for rigorous behavioral and social science research in relation to HIV/AIDS within these countries. Each of these grants will provide funding to strengthen the research infrastructure of local institutions and will also support a small portfolio of relevant and innovative research. Research will be conducted with the leadership and involvement of local social and behavioral scientists in partnership with scientists in the U.S. and/or other developed countries. Research topics should address social and behavioral issues in the prevention, care, and/or treatment of HIV/AIDS. It is hoped that the investigators involved in these grants will emerge as recognized leaders in the fields of behavioral and social sciences research related to HIV/AIDS. For more information, please visit this site, at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-06-007.html. Letters of intent should be sent by November 13, 2006. Applications are due on December 13, 2006.

Mental Health Research in Johns Hopkins

(April 13, 2006) The Department of Mental Health of the Bloomberg School of Public Health in the John Hopkins University is offering its 4th annual Summer Institute in Mental Health Research. Courses are taught from July 5 to 14, 2006. The Institute will focus on methodological and substantive topics of particular importance in mental health and drug use research. It is intended for professionals or students who are interested in research in: (a) the epidemiology of specific types of mental and behavioral disorders, (b) the implementation and evaluation of population mental health services, and/or (c) the measurement and statistical issues that commonly arise when studying mental health. For more information on courses and registration visit the Summer Institute web site, http://www.jhsph.edu/dept/mh/summer_institute/.

FICCDAT 1st call for Abstracts

(March 30, 2006) Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology (FICCDAT) will be held from June 16-19, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. FICCDAT is the first event of this kind in the world. It brings together five international conferences related to disability and to aging under one roof. These five conferences are Growing Older with a Disability; Advances in Neurorehabilitation; 2nd International Conference on Technology & Aging (ICTA) Caregivers: Essential Partners in Care; and 30th CMBES Conference: Improving Medical Device Usability. It is for all researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, consumers, caregivers and businesses concerned about people with disabilities who are copying and people aging into disability.

A call for abstracts is posted at FICCDAT site, http://www.ficcdat.ca. Please submit a 250 word abstract of a paper or poster on-line. The deadline is November 6, 2006. You can submit as many papers to as many of the conferences as you choose because you will only be required to register in one conference to be allowed to present in all.

Stanford Summer Workshop in Formal Demography

(March 30, 2006) This 2nd Stanford workshop in formal demography will be held at Stanford University from August 7 to August 18, 2006. It is supported by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Stanford University.

Topics taught at this workshop are (1) models and methods for mortality, migration, disability and related life-cycle transitions, (2) models and methods for fertility, (3) biodemographic models, (4) projection, forecasting, and historical reconstruction and social processes, and (5) aggregate demographic behavior. For more information, visit this site, http://popstudies.stanford.edu/summer_course/.

This workshop is open to graduate students, post-docs, and junior faculty who are interested in including formal demography in their research. To apply for this workshop, please send a 250 word research statement, and a Curriculum vitae by April 14, 2006. Graduate students must include a letter of recommendation from their advisor. Remember to state whether you need financial aid because support is available for approximately 20 students from US institutions.

Please mail, email, or fax your applications to:
Ms. Norma Malina
Stanford University
Department of Biological Sciences
Gilbert 116
Stanford, CA 94305
Phone (650) 723-6311
Fax (650) 724-3708
Email norma.malina@stanford.edu

65+ in the United States, 2005

(March 13, 2006) The National Institutes of Health just released a new report called 65+ in the United States, 2005, http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p23-209.pdf. This report was prepared for the National Institute on Aging. It provides a picture of the health and socioeconomic status of the aging population when the first group of baby boomers are turning 60 this year.

This 243-page compendium examines five key areas: growth of the older population (changes in age and racial/ethnic composition), longevity and health (life expectancy and causes of death), economic characteristics (income and household wealth), geographic distribution (by population and race) and social and other characteristics (marital status, living arrangements and voting patterns). Data used for compiling this report came from 2000 and previous Censuses, Current Population Survey, American Housing Survey, National Health Interview Survey, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the Health and Retirement Study.

Check out this 1996 report also called 65+ in the United States, http://www.census.gov/prod/1/pop/p23-190/p23-190.pdf to see the profile and trends in the aging population presented 10 years ago.

ATLAS.ti Software for Qualitative Analysis

(March 16, 2006) The Social Science Computing Cooperative at the University of Wisconsin in Madison has recently added ATLAS.ti to its Windows terminal servers, Winstat1-3 for researchers doing qualitative analysis on textual, graphical, audio and video data. ATLAS.ti is similar in functionality to NVivo. An overview session of ATLAS.ti software has been scheduled at 12:15 to 1:30 PM on Thursday, March 23, 2006 in room 8146 of William H. Sewell Social Science Building at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. This session will include a demonstration and highlight important features and its lingo of the software. Familiarity with qualitative analysis concepts is assumed. To learn more about this software visit ATLAS.ti website, http://www.atlasti.com/supportmain.php.

International Health & Development Conference in April

(March 2, 2006) The International Health & Development Conference will be held in Linsly-Chittenden Hall at Yale University on April 1-2 of 2006. Empowering Communities to Bridge Health Divides is the conference theme. This conference is open to anyone interested in children's health, international health, medicine, health education, health promotion, public health, eye care, international service, nonprofits, or microenterprise. Global Health in Discussion, Women's and Children's Health, Global Eye Care, Vision and Clinical Research, Community-Based Healthcare and Cultural Competency will be the topics at this conference. Registration fee is $70 (Student Rate $45) before March 23 and $80 (Student Rate: $50) after March 23. Please visit this site, http://www.uniteforsight.org/2006_annual_conference.php for a complete conference schedule and online registration.

NIH Pathway to Independence Award

(February 6, 2006) National Institutes of Health has announced the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/pathway_independence.htm. This pilot initiative intends to provide promising postdoctoral scientists with both mentored and independent research support. Beginning in Fall of 2006 NIH will issue between 150 and 200 awards for this program in its initial year. The agency expects to issue the same number of awards each of the following five years. During this time, the NIH will provide almost $400 million in support of the program. This award is a major piece of a larger, ongoing NIH effort to support new scientists as they transition to research independence. All NIH Institutes and Centers are participating in this award program.

The initial 1-2 year mentored phase will allow investigators to complete their supervised research work, publish results, and search for an independent research position. The second, independent phase, years 3-5, will allow awardees who secure an assistant professorship, or equivalent position, to establish their own research program and successfully apply for an NIH Investigator-Initiated (R01) grant. The R01 is the major means by which NIH supports individual scientists in the field.

Eligible Principal Investigators include outstanding postdoctoral candidates who have terminal clinical or research doctorates with no more than 5 years of postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission(s). Applicants may submit only one PI Award application, and may not simultaneously submit applications or have awards pending for any other PHS career development award (K-series mechanisms). Up to two revisions of an application will be accepted.

Application receipt dates is April 7, 2006. Then for standard dates, please see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm for details.

WLS Pilot Grant Program

(January 30, 2006) The Center for Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will award three pilot grants to investigators using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) data for scholarly research. Selected recipients will receive $10,000 to support their research and a residency on August 3rd and 4th, 2006. During the residency, grant recipients will receive intense training on using the WLS data. They will be invited back to CDHA to present their work at a later date. Authors will be encouraged to publish their work in any appropriate outlet.

The WLS is a long-term study of a random sample of 10,317 men and women who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957 and of their siblings, spouses, and children. The WLS provides an opportunity to study the life course, careers, retirement, intergenerational transfers and relationships, family functioning, physical and mental health and well-being, and morbidity and mortality from late adolescence to the retirement years. For more information about WLS, please visit its site: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/. All rounds of the WLS are available to all scholars regardless of whether they are awarded a pilot grant.

Applications are welcomed from investigators in such diverse fields as anthropology, demography, economics, epidemiology, family studies, genetics, gerontology, human development, medicine, nursing, psychology, public health, and sociology. Applicants must have a doctoral-level degree. Applications from junior researchers (i.e., fewer than five years since completing their doctoral-level degree), and more experienced researchers who are new to the WLS data are welcomed. Applicants must be affiliated with either educational institutions or with 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations. Expenses for travel to Madison for the August 3rd and 4th workshop will be covered in addition to the $10,000 grant. Grant money may be used for investigators’ salary or research support. Recipients are encouraged to negotiate with their home institution for waiver of indirect costs.

To apply submit a research proposal (5 page maximum) and a CV either electronically (preferred) to Carol Roan at roan@ssc.wisc.edu or printed to:

Carol Roan
Center for Demography of Health and Aging
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1180 Observatory Drive, Room 4430
Madison, Wisconsin 53706

The deadline for application is June 1, 2006. Recipients will be notified no later than July 1, 2006. More information about the WLS and the pilot grant program including questionnaires, codebooks and public data may be found at the WLS pilot grant website: http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/pilot.

Stanford Workshop in Biodemography

(December 22, 2005) This biodemography workshop is supported by NICHD, NIH and Stanford University. It will be held in Napa Valley in California from February 10 to February 12, 2006. Graduate students, postdocs and junior faculty are invited to submit their applications to this research and training workshop by January 10, 2006.

The subjects of the workshop include (1) the evolution of senescence and life histories, (2) the use of genetic and other biomarkers in studying fertility & mortality, especially in conjunction with traditional socioeconomic survey data, (3) the use of twin registries for the same sorts of questions, (4) the use of molecular genetic data in the same and related areas, and (5) reproductive biology & physiology in relation to demography.

Lectures and discussions will describe progress and methods in these areas. A principal objective is to stimulate discussion about the sorts of questions that can reasonably be asked, what pitfalls to look out for, and what areas are most exciting. 16 students with priority to graduate students will be admitted to this workshop.

Costs for students from the US including travel (lowest coach airfare, airport transfers), accommodation in double rooms (sharing with another student), and meals will be covered. Single rooms may be available if the student pays the additional cost. However, accompanying persons will NOT be accommodated. The workshop begins in the morning of February 10 and ends at noon on February 12.

Applications should be sent by email as soon as possible and no later than January 10, 2006, to Ms. Norma Malina (norma.malina@stanford.edu; telephone 650-723-6311). Applicants should provide (1) a brief letter stating his/her current position (student, postdoc, etc.) and his/her research interests in biodemography; (2) a curriculum vita; and (3) the name, email address and telephone of his/her research supervisor (for students and postdocs) or a professional reference (for faculty). Decisions will be made by January 15, 2006.

Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Releases 2004 Graduate Data

(November 17, 2005) The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study announces the public release of the 2004 WLS graduate data version 11.0. This is a preliminary release of the data gathered from the telephone and mail interviews of the original graduate respondents. The telephone interview was in the field from July of 2003 through June 2005. The mail survey is still in the field, but will soon be complete. The current release includes 7,265 telephone participants and 6,279 mail participants in the current round of surveys. These data will be updated with information from siblings, graduates’ spouses, siblings’ spouses, and surviving spouses of deceased graduates and siblings in the months to come.

This public-release WLS study is freely available from the WLS website, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/. Data files are downloadable in the following formats: STATA, SAS, and SPSS. In addition to this new data release, the past rounds (1957-1994) of WLS data have been updated. Details about these changes can be found at http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/wlsresearch/data/updates/change_notice/chnt_023.htm.

To keep you informed of all further releases of the data, WLS data users are encouraged to join one or both of the WLS new list servers. WLSannounce subscribers will receive occasional updates from WLS staff regarding new releases, change notices, pilot grant announcements, or other information of relevance to the WLS community. To subscribe to WLSannounce, send an e-mail to WLSannounce-request@ssc.wisc.edu with the subject line, “Subscribe.” If you subscribe to this list the only emails you will receive will be from the WLS staff.

WLSdiscuss will be open to posts from any list member who has a question regarding the WLS. The purpose of this list is to facilitate communication among researchers using the WLS data. To subscribe to WLSdiscuss send an e-mail to WLSdiscuss-request@ssc.wisc.edu with the subject line, “Subscribe.”

Postdoctoral fellowships at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health

(November 10, 2005) Through National Research Service Awards (NRSA), the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health offers several fellowships in two training programs. One is in Mental Health Economics Research funded by the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) and the other one is in Health Services and Health Policy Research funded through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The Mental Health Economics Research Training Program is a new program and it will provides advanced multidisciplinary training to outstanding PhD economists, or those with a doctorate in a closely related field, in mental health economics and the pharmacoeconomics of mental health.Trainees will have the opportunity to work with Berkeley faculty from the School of Public Health, the Department of Economics, and the Goldman School of Public Policy, and with the School of Pharmacy at UC San Francisco.

The Health Services and Health Policy Research Training Program is a jointed program by the Institute of Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco, and the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. This fellowship provides training and education to outstanding economists, political scientists, sociologists, public policy and health professionals interested in health services research training. Training areas include health economics, financing of health services, public health policy, managed care, health workforce, and health insurance. Postdoctoral and midcareer fellowships are open to those with health professional degrees (MD, DDS, etc.) and those with a PhD in a isciplinary field or degree from a professional school, including economics, sociology, political science, public health, and public policy. Those with clinical backgrounds should have completed residency training.

Both programs provide stipends and support for travel, as well as health insurance for the postdoctoral trainees. Awards allow selected trainees to gain 1 or more years of training and experience in applying research methods to mental health economics, health services and health policy. Individuals who have demonstrated competence and interest in these research areas are invited to apply for these fellowships. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or have permanent residency. For more information please visit this website, http://www.petris.org/trainingprograms.htm. Application form in Microsoft Word format can be downloaded from that site also. All applications must be submitted by January 15, 2006.

Center on Age and Community Post-Doctoral Fellowship

(November 3, 2005) The Center on Age and Community at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is accepting applications for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship. This fellowship will be awarded based on the strength of applicants’ career and research vision, and their potential to make a significant contribution to the field of aging. This post-doctoral fellow will be paired with a faculty mentor who will work with an advisor from the community to help the fellow hone skills in research, development, and building community partnerships. This fellowship goes from fall of 2006 to spring of 2008. The award amount is $40,000 per year plus benefits, moving expense, computer and travel support. All application materials should be sent to the Center on Age and Community by February 1st of 2006. Award will be announced on April 3rd of 2006. Application materials in Microsoft Word format can be found at the Center on Age and Community website, http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ageandcommunity/.

Technological Enhancements and Archiving for Surveys of the Elderly

(November 3, 2005) NIA Seeks Applications for the Development of Technological Enhancements and Archiving for Surveys of the Elderly in SBIR (R43/R44) and STTR (R42/R43) mechanisms. This NIA Funding Opportunity is intended to encourage small businesses to develop tools in the following areas: 1. Survey Development/Archiving: Produce and/or archive improved user-friendly public use data files from existing large-scale population-based data collection and behavioral intervention efforts to facilitate secondary data analysis. 2. Survey Technology: Develop technology to increase the portability, speed, ease, unobtrusiveness and cost-effectiveness of collecting biological data and performance measures in household surveys and behavioral interventions.

Applicants need to send their letter of intent by December 30, 2005 and the application should be submitted by January 19, 2006 electronically to this site, http://www.grants.gov/. For details about this funding opportunity, please visit this site, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-06-004.html.

Postdoctoral Training at RAND

(October 27, 2005) RAND is soliciting applications for postdoctoral fellowships in the studies of population and aging, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Students who are currently finishing a Ph.D. or who have completed one recently are invited to apply. Applications from students who have a strong interest in aging or population studies, regardless of their discipline are especially welcomed. The ideal postdoctoral fellow will have research interests that overlap at least to some extent with those of the RAND research staff, to facilitate training and collaboration. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Each fellowship is awarded for an initial period of one year, renewable for a second. The annual stipend level ranges from $46,000 to $61,000, depending on post-doctoral experience. Applications are due on January 15, 2006. A detailed description of the Program and the application procedure can be found at this site http://www.rand.org/labor/fellows/.

Academic Fellowships at the University of Edinburgh

(November 10, 2005) The University of Edinburgh, UK invites applications for two Research Councils UK Academic Fellowships. These prestigious Fellowships are for a period of five years, and are intended to lead to a permanent academic appointment. These are ideal positions for young, motivated researchers, and allow a focus on research without teaching duties in the early years of the appointment. For one of the posts, candidates with a research interest in cognitive ageing would be preferred, especially those with expertise in genetics, brain imaging or statistical analysis of longitudinal data. For the other post, applications are invited from candidates who have research interests in memory from the perspectives of human cognitive neuroscience or computational modeling of cognition.

Applicants should have a PhD or equivalent experience, and should not hold a permanent position. Preference will be given to those candidates who have a record in applying for, and being successful in obtaining research funding. Further information on the Research Councils UK Academic Fellowships scheme can be found at http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/acfellow/what.asp and related pages. Online application is available from the University of Edinburgh job website, http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/. The fellowship posting reference number is 3005187. Applications are due on November 30, 2005.

UW Population Health Institute Conference

(November 4, 2005) The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute will present a conference called Transformation in Health Care and the Role of the University at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison on November 17-18, 2005. This conference is co-sponsored by the WI Partnership Program for a Healthy Future and the UW Medical Foundation. Conference schedule and detailed information are available at this link. Featured speakers are: Troyen A. Brennan from Harvard University, William R. Clarke from GE Healthcare, General Electric Company, Roger Resar from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Steven Wartman from the Association of Academic Health Centers. Panel discussions include Current Trends, Initiatives and Issues, Community Partnerships for Change and the University Role in Healthcare Reform. For a registration form, please go to http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/uwphi/.

UWCCC Announces Funding for Pilot Projects

(October 14, 2005) The Aging and Cancer Program at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center(UWCCC) is pleased to announce the second round of availability of funds for pilot projects on the topic of aging and cancer. The Program's main goal is to stimulate the development of research programs examining the Aging/Cancer interface in order to obtain preliminary data for major research grant applications. The deadline for submission of proposals is Friday, November 4, 2005. The complete announcement with application instructions can be found on the UWCCC Website: http://www.cancer.wisc.edu/clinician/AgingandCancer9_05.pdf.

NIHSeniorHealth Website

(October 14, 2005) Each year, more than 700,000 strokes occur in the United States, nearly three-quarters of them in people over age 65. Because the risk of stroke, more than doubles each decade after age 55, it is especially important for older Americans to know stroke's warning signs and act quickly. Now, information on how to reduce risks of stroke, recognize symptoms, and treat stroke's damage is available at http://nihseniorhealth.gov/stroke/toc.html. The NIHSeniorHealth Web site is a joint effort of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), which are part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

ASA Student Awards

(October 14, 2005) The American Society on Aging is accepting applications for the Graduate and Undergraduate Student Awards. Each award includes a $500 cash prize. Application deadline is October 14, 2005. The Graduate Student Research Award, endowed by the AARP Foundation, recognizes research relevant to aging and applicable to practice. The Undergraduate Student Award is given for exemplary original work related to the theme of the Joint Conference of the National Council on the Aging and the American Society on Aging-Invest in Aging, Strengthening Families, Communities and Ourselves. For more information, including online applications, please visit http://www.asaging.org/awards.

RWJ Health and Society Scholars Program Calls for Proposals

(August 8, 2005) The Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program, whose goal is to improve health by training scholars to rigorously investigate the connections among biological, behavioral, environmental, economic and social determinants of health, is calling for proposals. The program will support outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training to engage in an intensive two-year program at one of six universities including Columbia University, Harvard University, University of California at San Francisco and Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training in one of a variety of disciplines, ranging from the behavioral and social sciences to the biological and natural sciences and health professions, are eligible. Past training in health-related areas is not a requirement. However, applicants must clearly connect their research interests to substantive population health concerns. More information is available on the RWJ website.

First Annual Matilda White Riley NIH Lecture in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Call for Nominations

(April 15, 2005) The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), National Institutes of Health, is pleased to establish an annual lecture in the behavioral and social sciences named in honor of Matilda White Riley (1911-2004). In addition to serving as the Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging, Dr. Riley provided leadership across the NIH in her role as chairperson of landmark committees regarding health and behavior. She was co-chair of the joint ADAMHA and NIH Steering Committee for the Institute of Medicine's Project on Health and Behavior (1979-1982) and chair of the trans-NIH Working Group on Health and Behavior (1982-1991). In these capacities she served as the senior NIH spokesperson on the behavioral and social sciences, encouraged coordination among NIH Institutes, oversaw the production of numerous reports to the Congress on behavioral research at the NIH, provided advice to several NIH Directors, and initiated the behavioral and social sciences seminar series at the NIH. In effect, she laid the groundwork for and was the precursor to OBSSR.

The Lecture Selection Committee is seeking nominations of an accomplished behavioral and social scientist to deliver the first Matlida White Riley Lecture in the fall of 2005 or winter of 2006. The annual award will honor an individual whose research has contributed to behavioral and social scientific knowledge and/or the application of such knowledge relevant to the mission of the National Institutes of Health. Nominees should also reflect Matilda Riley's commitment to research characterized by values such as: Strong linkages among theory, methods, and research topics/goals; Recognition of complexity of and dynamic interplay among processes at multiple levels of explanation (i.e., a biopsychosocial perspective); Encouragement of research on behavioral and social factors in physical health and of the application of such knowledge in clinical practice and health policy; Advocacy of a life-course perspective, both at the level of individuals and of societies (i.e., development/aging of people and the reciprocal influence of societal processes on development and of people as they develop/age on society); Emphasis on the potential for improving the lives of people and society (i.e., research should be "significant."); Conceptual expansion of "health" beyond biological outcomes (disease and death) to include "effective functioning" (functional health), such as cognitive, affective and social functioning, and quality of life; and An optimistic view on the ability of social and behavioral science to develop interventions to improve the lives of people of all ages.

The recipient of the award will be invited to deliver a presentation at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. OBSSR will provide the awardee with an honorarium and a suitable commemorative plaque or sculpture as well as publish the annual lecture on the OBSSR HomePage (http://obssr.od.nih.gov/Activities/MWR_Lecture/index.htm).

Nomination Procedures

Please send nominations to the Ronald P. Abeles, Selection Committee Chair, by June 1, 2005. Your nomination should include the individual's name, terminal degree, discipline, institutional affiliation, and abbreviated curriculum vitae (if readily available) as well as a brief statement (maximum one page, single-spaced) regarding the candidate's accomplishments and appropriateness for the Matilda White Riley NIH Lecture. Candidates may be government (including NIH) employees or from outside of the government. Please feel free to nominate more than one person. Those not selected in 2005 will be reconsidered for subsequent years! You should nominate someone other than yourself. Be sure also to include your own name and contact information.

Barker to Lecture at UW

(April 15, 2005) The Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychology invite you to attend a lecture given by world-renowned speaker David J.P. Barker, PhD, the developer of the "Barker Hypothesis" which describes the Fetal/Developmental Origins of Adult Onset Disease. The impact of maternal health, gestational stresses, and perturbations of fetal environment on the earlier manifestations of adult Cardiovascular Disease, Type II Diabetes, Adiposity/Obesity, Osteoporosis and Cancer will be discussed.

Professor Barker is in great demand throughout the world to present his work that has spawned an entire field of study. His work recently led to the formation of a new international scientific society (http://www.dohadsoc.org/) based on understanding the multidisciplinary need to study the continuum of the "Developmental Origins of Health and Medicine" from conception until old age. University of Wisconsin-Madison is proud to announce this special lecture entitled:

Developmental Origins of Adult Onset Disease: Implications for Health from Newborn to Old Age, April 22, 2005 at 8:00am in room 111 Genetics-Biotechnology Center

If you have any questions regarding this lecture, please contact Ron Magness, PhD at rmagness@wisc.edu.

ASA Graduate Student Paper Award

(April 15, 2005) Submissions for this year's graduate student paper award should be sent to Janet Wilmoth (jwilmoth@maxwell.syr.edu) by June 1.

Additional information can be obtained from http://www.asanet.org/sectionaging/student.html.

At the 1996 Annual ASA Meeting, a Graduate Student Paper Award was established in place of the Doctoral Dissertation Award. Papers authored or coauthored solely by students are eligible. Faculty coauthors render papers ineligible. Unpublished, under review, accepted, or published papers are eligible. If published, the paper should have appeared within the past two calendar years (e.g., a paper nominated in 2003 may have been published anytime during 2002 or 2003). Self nominations are encouraged! All nominations are due by June 1st.

The award consists of $250 presented to the winner at the Business Meeting of Section, held during the annual ASA meeting in August of each year. Only one award will be given. Send three copies (3) of the nominated paper in the format used by the American Sociological Review.

Graduate Student Paper Chair
Janet M. Wilmoth
Center for Policy Research
426 Eggers Hall
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY 13244-1020
Phone: 315.443.5053
Email: jwilmoth@maxwell.syr.edu

CDHA Pilot Project Competition for 2005-06

(March 28, 2005) Deadline: 4:30 pm, Monday, April 11, 2005

For the first time in a couple of years, we are able to hold a competition for pilot research support within CDHA. (Last year, we could not do so because of the timing of the grant renewal process.) We will have funds for 3 or 4 RA/PA positions and small amounts of faculty time.

In addition, we can consider proposals for research workshops. Keep in mind that CDHA's priority is to support start-up or pilot activities that are likely to lead to successful research proposals.

It is also time for the annual renewal of the CDHA grant. You should already have been asked for a report about CDHA-supported research activities and other aging-related research activities. If you have not already responded to that request, please refer back to Janet Eisenhauer Smith's message about preparation of on-line reports, or contact Janet Eisenhauer Smith for help (jeisenha@ssc.wisc.edu).

IF YOU WOULD LIKE PILOT FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR

Please send me (with a ccto Janet Eisenhauer Smith) a page or two describing what you want to do, why it is important, how you will do it, what resources you will need, and what you will produce (esp. including new research proposals!)

Recall that our policy does not exclude multi-year funding of the same pilot project, if there is substantial progress.

Here is a brief statement of NIA's behavioral and social research priorities:

"The Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program has identified seven major areas of emphasis to focus on during the next several years. These areas have been selected because: (1) they represent new and important perspectives or emphases that have not been adequately highlighted in the past, (2) they are areas that have a potential for major scientific advancement, or (3) they have important implications for policy and for the future well-being of older persons in the United States.

New program announcements are being developed in each of these special initiative areas. The intent of announcing these special initiatives is not to diminish the important research already conducted in many areas by BSR, but to show where BSR will be focusing its own development efforts and staff time (e.g., workshops and commissioned papers).

The seven special initiatives of BSR are: (1) Health Disparities; (2) Aging Minds; (3) Increasing Health Expectancy; (4) Health, Work, and Retirement; (5) Interventions and Behavior Change; (6) Genetics, Behavior, and the Social Environment; and (7) The Burden of Illness and the Efficiency of Health Systems. Principles Cutting Across BSR Research Programs

* Aging From Birth to DeathLife Course Perspectives
* Biobehavioral Linkages and Collaboration With Other NIA Programs
* Integration and SynthesisMultilevel Interactions Among Psychological, Physiological, Social, and Cultural Levels
* Development of Improved Methodologies and Measurement
* Translation and Application of Findings"

For more information, please see the NIA Behavioral and Social Research website:

http://www.nia.nih.gov/ResearchInformation/ExtramuralPrograms/BehavioralAndSocialResearch/.

(Note, there are links to BSR and several other useful locations at our revised and improved website, http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/.)

In past years, we have had the opportunity to ask NIA for administrative supplements to support especially attractive projects or projects that cannot be accommodated within our regular budget. For example, we have been successful in obtaining substantial administrative supplements to improve the quality of public data from MIDUS (Midlife in the US), to begin neurophysiological examinations of WLS participants, and for research on the consequences of HIV/AIDS on population aging and family structure in Sub-Saharan Africa. While it is probably best to aim at a price-range of $25-50,000 for one of these special supplements, we may request (and have on one occasion obtained) a supplement of ~$100,000.

I do not presently know whether there will be a similar opportunity this year. If you have such a project in mind, please let me know. I should have an answer after the PAA meetings next week. If there is a competition for supplements, you may want to make two pre-proposals, one that could be ccommodated within our regular budget, and another that could only be accommodated with a special supplement.

We can read just about any file attachment, but WORD or WordPerfect are preferred because they will be easy to edit and incorporate in the renewal application. If you use a file attachment, please name it in the following way:

"A_CDHA-proposal_02yyzz.ext," where "A" is your name "yyzz" is month-day, and "ext" is a file-type.

I look forward to your proposals. We were able to provide some help from the regular CDHA budget to almost all proposed pilot projects in 2003, and our track record looks good to NIA. Thus, I am very hopeful about this years competition.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at Demographic and Health Surveys

(January 31, 2005) The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program at ORC Macro is offering one, and possibly two, fellowships for a period of two years. The fellowship program is financed by USAID and its main goals are to provide further training for developing country researchers and to contribute to the further analysis of DHS data, particularly those on HIV/AIDS.

Candidates should have a doctoral degree in demography, epidemiology or the social sciences and should be knowledgeable about the DHS program and DHS data files. They should be able to perform their own data processing and statistical analysis and able to speak and write fluently in English. Only candidates who are developing country nationals will be considered. Preference will be given to candidates who are already in the U.S. due to problems with obtaining visas and the cost of international recruiting.

The fellows will receive an annual salary of $40,000.00, health benefits and assistance with relocation. The aim is to have the fellows in place as soon as possible.

Candidates should send an application letter, copies of awards of their educational degrees, and an indication of their visa status in the U.S., as well as the names of two references. Please send these items to Dr. Shea Rutstein, ORC Macro, 11785 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300, Calverton, MD 20705, email: Shea.O.Rutstein@orcmacro.com, fax: +1 301 572-0999. Applications are due by February 15, 2005.

Summer Internship at The Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch

(March 23, 2005) The Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch anticipates the ability to hire a summer intern for the Summer of 2005 to participate in activities that support our extramural program of population research funding. The internship is located in Rockville Maryland, just outside of Washington DC. A full-time commitment of at least 10 weeks is desirable.

As the largest funder of population research in the United States, the branch supports a broad portfolio of research on topics including fertility and contraceptive use, sexual behavior and HIV prevention, public policy and the well-being of children, trends in marriage and the family, infant and child health and survival, migration, population and environment, and population composition and distribution. The branch's activities include overseeing this portfolio, advising applicants for research funding, conducting outreach to inform scientists of funding opportunities, organizing conferences and workshops to encourage new scientific directions, developing new funding initiatives, and representing demographic research and the accomplishments of the program to outside communities.

Past interns have assisted program staff in monitoring the grants portfolio, conducting outreach activities at scientific meetings and through the Web, coordinating scientific activities, compiling reports on scientific progress, and organizing conferences. They have also had the opportunity to learn about the NIH process first hand by attending review sessions, staff meetings and Advisory councils. Working in this office is an ideal experience for someone who wants to develop a broad view of the field of population research and to meet some of its most exciting players. The internship also provides an opportunity to see how population research is integrated in an interdisciplinary way through collaborations within the NIH and with other federal agencies (e.g., ASPE, BLS, ACF, and NCHS).

We prefer individuals who are currently enrolled in graduate-level training in a population-related field. Experience with computing and Web applications is highly desirable. Salary is commensurate with training and experience. U.S. citizens and non-citizens who have permanent visa status, are from a country allied with the U.S., or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident may apply.

For more information or to send us your vita, please contact Susan Newcomer [newcomes@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 496-1174]. We would like to identify potential applicants by April 15, 2005. Applicants who will be attending the Population Association of America meetings March 30-April 2 may want to arrange to meet with DBSB staff during that time.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Postdoctoral Position in Demography of Aging

(January 19, 2005) The Center for Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in the demography of aging and the life course, funded by the National Institute on Aging. One NIA postdoctoral fellowship will be open as of September 1, 2005. The CDHA program is intended to support and develop the research and professional skills of recent PhDs in sociology, economics, or complementary disciplines and to focus those skills on significant theoretical, methodological, and policy issues in the demography of aging and the life course. The NIA fellow will be encouraged to affiliate with one of the major research projects in the CDHA or in the Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE), among which are the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), Health, Wellbeing and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE), and Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions (PREHCO).

CDE and CDHA provide a research and training environment that is strong in collegiality, computing, geographic information analysis, print/data libraries, and administrative services. Faculty affiliates of the centers come from the Departments of Sociology, Economics, Rural Sociology, Social Work, Psychology, History, Preventive Medicine, Statistics, and Child and Family Studies. General support for the Centers is provided by core grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and from the National Institute of Aging. For more information about the Centers, their research faculty, and current research activities, please visit our website at www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/ and www.ssc.wisc.edu/cdha/.

Stipend levels for this position are set by NIH. In FY2004, they ranged from $35,568 to $51,036, depending on years of relevant postdoctoral experience. In addition, we expect to provide for travel to professional meetings up to $1,000 annually. Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States and must have completed all requirements for the doctorate by the time of the initial appointment. To apply, send a vita, a short description of a research project to be conducted at the Center, three letters of recommendation, and copies of publications. Send applications to Robert M. Hauser, Director, Center for Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1393 (or inquiries by E-mail to hauser@ssc.wisc.edu). Applications will be reviewed beginning in February 2005 until a selection is made. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Bioethics Position in Department of Medical History and Bioethics

(November 17, 2004) The University of Wisconsin Medical School is conducting a search for a tenured position in its Bioethics Program, a division of the Department of Medical History and Bioethics.

The division presently consists of 7 tenure-track faculty with fully funded positions. Present faculty include those with training and appointments in pediatrics, law, philosophy, and medical anthropology. Scholarly interests include ethical and policy issues in stem cell research; allocation of health care resources; reproductive rights; genetic screening; performance enhancing drugs; agricultural biotechnology; research ethics; race and medicine; population and public health ethics; politics and bioethics; and clinical bioethics.

Special (but not exclusive) consideration will be given to candidates who have experience in and commitment to clinical ethics. All candidates must be able to demonstrate substantial accomplishment in scholarship and teaching related to bioethics. The appointee should be prepared to assume leadership of the Bioethics Program in the near or intermediate term. Candidates must have graduate training in medicine, nursing, law, philosophy, one of the social sciences, or other disciplines relevant to bioethics. Joint appointments with other departments/schools are common.

The committee will begin reviewing applications January 18, 2005. Additional information about the position may be found at: http://www.ohr.wisc.edu/pvl/pv_048972.html. Interested candidates should forward curriculum vitae and contact information for at least three references to:

   Norman Fost, M.D., M.P.H.
   Attn: Ms. Jean von Allmen
   Department of Medical History & Bioethics
   1300 University Avenue, Room 1420
   Madison, WI 53706-1532

Unless confidentiality is requested in writing, information regarding the applicants must be released upon request. Finalists cannot be guaranteed confidentiality.

The University of Wisconsin Medical School is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Job Opportunities at the University of Minnesota

(November 17, 2004) The Minnesota Population Center is recruiting graduate research assistants and postdoctoral research associates to help us with some exciting new initiatives related to the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series. Graduate research assistants must enroll in a relevant graduate program at the University, and deadlines for those programs are approaching rapidly. Postdocs may apply at any time, and applications will be reviewed until the positions are filled. Appointments can begin any time in 2005.

Further information on the positions and application procedures is contained in the attached flyer and on the Population Center website. For the graduate student positions go to http://www.pop.umn.edu/jobs4grads.html, and for the postdoctoral positions go to http://www.pop.umn.edu/jobs4research.html.

NIA Establishes New Demography Centers to Enhance Knowledge about Older Americans

(October 29, 2004) On October 26, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that they have established four new Centers on the Demography of Aging. The new centers are located at Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of North Carolina, and Pennsylvania State University. The new programs join nine ongoing Centers at institutions around the U.S., including the Center for Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Research at the new centers will focus on social and behavioral research on health, savings, retirement, and global aging.

Summer Workshop: Examining the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)

(April 12, 2004) A one-week workshop on using the Health and Retirement Study will be offered June 21 through June 25, 2004 as part of the 57th Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques. The Summer Institute runs from June 7 through July 30, 2004 at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. This non-credit course will be taught by instructors Daniel H. Hill and Gwenith Fisher of the University of Michigan. The workshop will consist of two days of general study design (presented by Hill) followed by two days concentrating on the health and cognition data (presented by Fisher). Participant research plans will be presented and discussed on the final day of the workshop with input from Robert Willis, the Principal Investigator. The format of the workshop includes hands-on instruction with the data as well as lectures. Researchers with interests in health and aging or cognitive aging are particularly encouraged to attend. For additional information please visit the Summer Institute Website.

MIDUS 2004-5 Pilot Project Grant Program Call for Applications

(March 15, 2004) The National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) will award two pilot project grants for innovative interdisciplinary research on adult health and well-being, with an emphasis on integrative approaches to understanding life course and subgroup variations in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive functioning. Research must be based on the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) data set, or its satellite studies, which include National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and sibling/twin subsample studies. Grants of up to $15,000 (total costs) will be awarded to investigators from a variety of disciplines. The deadline for applications is July 1, 2004. For details: visit the Rutgers website. To receive a weekly email containing similar announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Retirement Research Foundation Accepting Proposals

(March 8, 2004) The Retirement Research Foundation (RRF) supports programs that improve the quality of life for older Americans through their General Program which funds service, education, research and advocacy projects. The Foundation is particularly interested in innovative projects that have the potential to change practice, policy or delivery systems. The Foundation's programs seek to improve the availability and quality of long-term care programs, expand opportunities for older persons to play meaningful roles in society, and support research into the causes and solutions of significant problems of the aged. Previous awards include: a two-year grant to the University of Wisconsin at Madison to support an Elder Law Clinic and a one-year grant to the Institute for Women's Policy Research to support distribution of research on economic problems faced by elderly women. Deadlines are: February 1, May 1, and August 1 annually. During the two-year period, February 1, 2003, to February 1, 2005, the Foundation will only consider proposals from these seven states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Florida. For more information visit the RRF website.

Post Doctoral Fellowship in Aging Research

(March 1, 2004) The Center on Age and Community at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee announces a new, two-year, post-doctoral fellowship in aging research. The post-doctoral fellowship program benefits from the Center's interdisciplinary research and collaborations with its regional aging services network. Disciplines across the campus contribute to improve the three main goals of the Center: Healthy Aging and Quality of Life, Long-term Care, and Building an Elder-Friendly Community. The award is $40,000 per year plus benefits. The fellowship begins in September, 2004, and the application deadline is April 15th. For more information visit www.aging.uwm.edu.

March 5th Congressional Briefing

(February 25, 2004) On March 5, 2004 the congressional briefing "Lost In Translation: Public Health Implications of Sexual Health Research" will be presented at the Rayburn House Office Building from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Presentations include: Psycho-Biological Factors In Human Sexuality And Their Relevance To Health, HIV and STD Prevention: Sexual Behavior Research Successes, and Sexuality in Marriage. For more information visit www.decadeofbehavior.org or view the pdf invitation on the CDHA website.

Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being

(February 24, 2004) The GSA report "Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being" is now available. This updated and expanded report provides data on several important areas in the lives of older people, such as population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. Sign up to receive a copy of "Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being" by visiting the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics' web site. Note: Due to a programming error, those who signed up before January 31, 2004, must resubmit their information.

11th Annual RAND Summer Institute

(February 17, 2004) The 11th annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Office for Behavior and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health, will take place in Santa Monica, CA, July 7 - 10, 2004. The RSI consists of two conferences, each addressing critical issues facing our aging population: a Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists (July 7-8) and a workshop on the Demography, Economics and Epidemiology of Aging (July 9-10). The primary aim of RSI is to expose scholars interested in the study of aging to a wide range of research being conducted in fields beyond their own specialties. Applicants may apply for fellowship support to pay for travel and accommodations. For further information and an online application, visit: http://www.rand.org/labor/aging/rsi/. For additional information, please contact Dawn Matsui at dawn_matsui@rand.org.

2004 Summer GIS Workshops

(February 17, 2004) The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) is accepting applications for positions in its summer workshops. Workshops for the summer of 2004 include: Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment, and Geographically Weighted Regression and Associated Statistics. The application deadline is April 18, 2004. Successful applicants will be notified via email by April 30th. Visit http://www.CSISS.org/events/workshops for application procedures and workshop content.
ISCPR 2004 summer workshops at Urbana-Champaign, IL include: Introduction to Spatial Data Analysis (http://sal.agecon.uiuc.edu/courses/index.html#intro), and Spatial Regression Analysis (http://sal.agecon.uiuc.edu/courses/index.html#reg). For information on ICPSR enrollment and fees visit: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/TRAINING/summer.html.
Also being offered this summer, the Vespucci Initiative for the Advancement of Geographic Information Science, July 5-23, 2004, Fattoria Montebeni, near Florence, Italy. For more information on the 2004 Summer School on Geographic Information Science visit: http://www.vespucci.org.

PRB Policy Fellows Program Call for Applications

(January 15, 2004) The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is now accepting applications for its 2004-2005 Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications. The Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and is open to citizens of developing countries who are students at the doctoral level in the United States and Canada. Applicants may be in any field of study but must have a demonstrated interest in population, family planning, or reproductive health. The goals of the one-year Population Policy Communications Program are to understand the process by which research informs the policy environment and to learn various ways to communicate findings to policy audiences. The three parts of the program include a two-week seminar at PRB in Washington, D.C., a research project, and a presentation at a workshop the 2005 PAA Annual Meeting. The application deadline is January 31, 2004, and the awards will be announced in March 2004. For more information and to download application forms visit www.prb.org.

RAND Fellows in Population Studies and the Study of Aging

(December 15, 2003) RAND is currently soliciting applications for postdoctoral fellowships in the studies of population and aging, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Students who are currently finishing a Ph.D. or who have completed one recently and who have a strong interest in aging or population studies are encouraged to apply. The ideal postdoctoral fellow will have research interests that overlap with interests of the RAND research staff, to facilitate training and collaboration. Each fellowship is awarded for an initial period of one year and is renewable for a second. The stipend level ranges from $44,325 to $56,500 depending on qualifications. The deadline for completed applications is February 1, 2004. A detailed description of the program and the application procedure can be found at http://www.rand.org/labor/fellows/.

China Data Service Now Available through CDE/CDHA

(November 10, 2003) CDHA and CDE data librarians now have on-line access to data produced by the University of Michigan China Data Center (CDC). The All China Market Research Co., Ltd (ACMR), in cooperation with the CDC and with the authorization of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, is the primary statistical data provider in China. The online China database is developed and licensed by ACMR and supported by the CDC. Users can extract and download data from the service’s central databases, including (1) yearly China macro-economic statistics, (2) monthly macro-economic statistics, (3) historical statistics (1949-2000), (4) city statistics (1996-2000), (5) county statistics (1997-2000), (6) custom import/export statistics, (7) industrial sector statistics, and (8) company information. An Atlas of Population and Environment is also available, although a separate subscription is needed to access the full set of tables from the 2000 Census of Population. For more details, contact Janet Eisenhauer Smith, CDHA's Data Analyst/Archivist at cdhadata@ssc.wisc.edu. Data is available to CDE/CDHA affiliates through the data library's single license on a one-at-a-time basis. Sample data and additional information is available at http://141.211.136.211/eng/Default.asp.

Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging

(November 9, 2003) The Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging (BCDA) support the research of faculty members early in their careers to aid the future development of programs in aging research and to expand medical research on aging. This program provides support to junior to mid-career faculty members in strong research environments to enable them to gain skills and experience in clinical aging research and to establish an independent program of research. Applicants must identify a mentor and must devote 75% of their full-time professional effort to the goals of this award. The proposed training and research must focus on clinically-relevant research on aging. The letter of intent must be received by November 17, 2003, and the application deadline is December 17, 2003. For more information, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AG-04-004.html.

Specialist in Demography Vacancy Announcement

(November 9, 2003) The Library of Congress announces an opening for a full time position as a Specialist in Demography. The purpose of this position is to serve the United States Congress as a Specialist in Demography and related subject areas in the Domestic Social Policy Division of the Congressional Research Service. The Specialist in Demography will perform analyses of survey, census, or other types of quantitative data to determine the effects of changes in the U.S. population on proposed domestic social policies. Demographers with experience in demographic and aging research are encouraged to apply, as much of the analysis would deal with the implications of an aging population. To be considered for this vacancy, applicants may apply online at www.loc.gov or complete and submit an applicant job kit which requires the completion of an applicant questionnaire using a scannable form. You can request a copy of the applicant job kit and scannable form by contacting The Library of Congress Employment Office - Workforce Acquisitions, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, LM-107, Washington, D.C. 20540-2295, (202) 707-5627. If you experience difficulties, please direct all inquiries to jobhelp@loc.gov.

W. K. Kellogg Foundation Scholars in Health Disparities

(October 22, 2003) The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Center for the Advancement of Health announce recruitment for the 2004 cohort of W.K. Kellogg Foundation Scholars in Health Disparities. The program challenges postdoctoral investigators from a variety of disciplines, such as economics, sociology, political science, public health and law, to examine the causes and consider policy solutions for health disparities by race/ethnicity, gender and income/socioeconomic status. Stipends of up to $52,500 a year are available, with a second year option. Up to 15 scholars will be funded for postdoctoral research at these participating sites: Harvard Center for Health and Society, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Morgan State University Public Health/Urban Health Policy Center, University of California, San Francisco Center on Social Disparities in Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology, and the Morehouse School of Medicine National Center for Primary Care. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2004. For more information and application materials, visit www.cfah.org or contact David Torresen at dtorresen@cfah.org.

NCHS Health Policy Fellowship Call for Applications

(September 29, 2003) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and AcademyHealth are requesting applications for the 2004 Health Policy Fellowship. This program brings visiting scholars in disciplines related to health services research to NCHS to collaborate on studies of interest to policymakers and the health services research community using NCHS data systems. Applicants may be at any stage in their career from doctoral students (who must have completed course work and be at the dissertation phase of their program) to senior investigators and must demonstrate training and/or experience in health services research and methodology, reflecting disciplines such as: public health, public administration, health care administration, statistics, sociology, economics, behavioral sciences, and health professions. The deadline for applications is Friday, January 9, 2004. For more information and a copy of the Call for Applications, visit www.academyhealth.org/nchs or email AcademyHealth at nchs@academyhealth.org.

PAA Submission Deadline Extended

(September 25, 2003) The Population Association of America will hold its annual meeting on April 1-3, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts. Applied demographers are invited to present either a poster or a paper. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Monday, September 29. For more information or to make an online submission, visit http://paa2004.princeton.edu/.

SPRY Conference: Computer-Based Technology and Caregiving for Older Adults

(July 24, 2003) At a national conference hosted by The SPRY (Setting Priorities for Retirement years) Foundation and its co-sponsors, over 40 speakers and 30 co-sponsors will share their expertise and insights into how technological applications are helping people manage their health and caregiving needs in home and community-based settings. This National Conference on Computer-Based Technology and Caregiving for Older Adults will be held on October 2 and 3, 2003 at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information about the conference, visit www.spry.org.

Upcoming Conference of Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Institute

(July 22, 2003) On October 3, 2003, the Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Institute, with co-producers the Center for Urban Population Health (a joint program of UW Medical School and Aurora Health Care) and Marshfield Clinic Center for Health Services Research, will host its bi-annual conference. The conference, entitled "Health and Health Care in Wisconsin: How Good? What Works? Who Pays? Who Decides?", will have over 30 posters presented and will be awarding papers in three categories to recognize excellent work by Wisconsin authors of publications relevant to the conference theme. Early registration is encouraged due to high interest in the program and in order to take advantage of the early bird registration fee. Check the Institute web site at www.pophealth.wisc.edu/wphi for additional details about the conference as they develop.

Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program in Geriatric Social Work

(July 22, 2003) The Hartford Doctoral Fellows program is designed for outstanding doctoral students at the dissertation research stage. Candidates need to have an approved doctoral dissertation at the time of application. The dissertation must study aspects of the health and well being of older persons and their families. The Fellowship includes a $40,000 dissertation research grant plus academic career development and leadership training. Hartford Doctoral Fellows attend the annual meetings of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) where special pre-conference institutes are offered. Applications are due August 1, 2003. For more information about the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program, see the GSA web page at http://www.geron.org and then click on "Social Work" under the "Programs" tab.

Call for Proposals for RWJ 2 Year Postdoctoral Fellowship

(July 9, 2003) The Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program is designed to build capacity for research, leadership and action to effectively address the broad range of factors affecting health. The goal of the program is to improve health by training scholars to rigorously investigate the connections among biological, behavioral, environmental, economic and social determinants of health. The program will support 18 outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training to engage in an intensive two-year program at one of six universities including Columbia University, Harvard University, University of California at San Francisco and Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training in one of a variety of disciplines, ranging from the behavioral and social sciences to the biological and natural sciences and health professions, are eligible. Past training in health-related areas is not a requirement. However, applicants must clearly connect their research interests to substantive population health concerns. Applications are due September 5, 2003 for the period of study to begin August 2004. For details, please contact Jane Lambert at 265-4592 or jflamber@wisc.edu. To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Staff Positions Available at Office for Human Research Protection

(June 3, 2003) There are currently a number of staff positions open in the Office for Human Research Protection (OHRP). Vacancies include two Public Health Analyst positions, GS-685-9/11 (description); one Public Health Analyst position, GS-685-12/13 (description); and three Public Health Analyst positions, GS-685-13/14 (description). The positions are in the Office of the Secretary AOA Bargaining Unit located in Rockville, MD. The deadline for applications is June 9, 2003. For more information visit the job description links above.

SARA/Educational Gerontology Free Table of Contents E-mail

(June 3, 2003) In response to the changing needs of the academic community, publisher Taylor & Francis (which publishes over 750 academic peer-reviewed journals across a variety of disciplines) is using the Internet actively to provide information about journals in advance of publication. SARA - Scholarly Articles Research Alerting, is a special email service designed to deliver tables of contents for any Taylor & Francis, Carfax, Routledge, Spon Press, or Psychology Press journal, to anyone who has requested the information, completely free of charge. This service gives advance notice of what is being published, making it easier to retrieve the exact information required from the hard copy before the printed edition becomes available. Titles that may be of interest are Educational Gerontology, Mathematical Population Studies, and Population Studies. To register for this complimentary service, please visit: www.tandf.co.uk/sara and click on the SARA button. For a free online sample copy or further information on the above titles, please visit www.tandf.co.uk/journals.

Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Institute Call for Posters

(May 10, 2003) The Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Institute invites submittal of posters in areas of current health policy and program interest. Of particular interest are new findings as well as methodological approaches in the following areas: Cost, coverage, and financing of health services and insurance, Promoting, measuring, and reporting quality and outcomes, Access to health care, Evidence-based health promotion/disease prevention strategies, Current topics in epidemiology and surveillance, and Health disparities among Wisconsin’s population groups. The bi-annual conference, Cost, Access, Outcomes, and the Health of Wisconsin, will be held on October 2-3, 2003 in Madison. On Friday, October 3, at the Concourse Hotel and Governer's Club, there will be a Panel on State Health Reform, and a Keynote Session with James S. Marks, MD, MPH, Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Abstracts of up to one page can be submitted electronically by July 1, 2003, to Judy Knutson at jaknutso@wisc.edu. For more information, contact Donna Friedsam at dafriedsam@wisc.edu. To receive a weekly email containing similar announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

New CRR Publication Released

(April 23, 2003) The Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College has just released a new issue of Just the Facts On Retirement Issues. "Pension Accounting & Personal Saving" by Annamaria Lusardi, Jonathan Skinner, and Steven Venti of Dartmouth College, explores links between the stock market and personal savings, in an effort to explain a recent decline in the personal saving rate calculated by the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA). Just the Facts can be viewed on the CRR website. To receive a weekly email containing similar announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Clogg Scholarships Available to Attend the ICPSR Summer Program

(April 11, 2003) The ASA Sociology Methods Section and the ICPSR have agreed to establish a scholarship award in honor of the late Clifford C. Clogg, a major figure in quantitative social science research methodology and a strong supporter of and contributor to the ICPSR Summer Program. The Clogg award is a waiver of Program Scholar fees to attend the four and/or eight-week ICPSR Summer Program. The scholarship will be awarded to a limited number of advanced graduate students in Ph.D. programs. The Sociology Methods Section has created a Clogg Scholarship committee to evaluate the applications and choose the recipients. The deadline for applications is April 28, 2003. Program brochures and applications may be obtained by mail by contacting the Summer Program office at sumprog@icpsr.umich.edu or online via the ICPSR web site.

10th Annual RAND Summer Institute

(March 28, 2003) The 10th annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Office for Behavior and Social Science Research at the National Institutes of Health, will take place in Santa Monica, CA, July 9 - 13, 2003. In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the NIA supported Centers on the Demography Aging, this year's Workshop on Aging will center around the theme, "Voyages of Discovery." The RSI consists of two conferences each addressing critical issues facing our aging population: a Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists (July 9 - 10) and a workshop on the Demography, Economics and Epidemiology of Aging (July 11 - 13). The primary aim of the RSI is to expose scholars interested in the study of aging to a wide range of research being conducted in fields beyond their own specialties. Applicants may apply for fellowship support to pay for registration, travel, and accommodations. Both the Mini-Med School and the Workshop on Aging are described more fully on the RSI web site. For additional information, please contact Dawn Matsui at dawn_matsui@rand.org.

GSA Expands Online Job Service

(March 28, 2003) The Gerontological Society of America invites you to visit its new and improved online job service, the AgeWork Career Center. AgeWork’s services have been expanded to meet the needs of both employers and job seekers. The new services include; for employers, real-time job posting, access to resume database, resume search agents, job activity reports, and online application service; for job seekers, real-time resume posting, advanced options for job searches, E-mail notification of new jobs, confidentiality and security, and online application form. All job seeker services are free and open to the public. The CDHA website links to aging job listings and other funding opportunities. For more information, browse CDHA's funding pages.

Nepalese Age Researchers Seek Advisor

(March 15, 2003) A newly organized research group on aging in Nepal is seeking advice and comments on a set of questionnaires prepared for Nepalese seniors. The research group is part of the Integrated Bioscientific Research Group (BIOINT) in Nepal, and is initiating some of the first aging research in the Himalayan country. The researchers are requesting the cooperation of an expert in aging research to comment on their questionnaires. If interested, contact Beda Nidhi Dahal, Research coordinator, BIOINT, PO box 6064, Kathmandu, Nepal. Email: samiksha@wlink.com.np

MIDUS Research Grants Accepting Applications

(March 15, 2003) Two pilot project grants will be awarded for innovative interdisciplinary research on adult health and well-being, with an emphasis on integrative approaches to understanding life course and subgroup variations in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive functioning. All research must be based on the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) data set, or its satellite studies including the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and sibling/twin subsample studies. Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to investigators from a variety of disciplines. Applications must be received by July 1, 2003. For details: visit the Rutgers website.To receive a weekly email containing similar announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

New EPA Web Site on Aging

(March 14, 2003) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently created an "Aging Initiative" web site. The Aging Initiative is an effort that will develop a three-pronged National Agenda on the Environment and Aging. The Agenda will prioritize and study environmental health threats to older persons, examine the effect of a rapidly growing aging population might have on our environment, and encourage older people to volunteer in their own communities to reduce hazards and protect the environment. For details: visit the EPA website or the CAAR Archive (CAAR #176:Item 29, 6 March 2003).To receive a weekly email containing similar announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Recent HRS Data Releases Available

(February 21, 2003) The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) surveys more than 22,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years. Supported by the National Institute on Aging, the study examines an aging America's physical and mental health, insurance coverage, financial status, family support systems, labor market status, and retirement planning. HRS data products are available without cost to researchers and analysts. The winter issue of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) contains information about recent data releases. For more information: visit the HRS winter issue.

NIH BSR Internship Opportunities

(February 14, 2003)The NIH Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program has opportunities available for graduate students to apply for internships this summer. Interns will have the opportunity to learn the fine art of research administration while concurrently learning about cutting-edge research that is being conducted by BSR's grantees. Interested students can apply for "Administrative" positions or "Scientific" positions. If a student would like to work in BSR in Bethesda, MD, the position to apply for is called "Social Science Analyst" and is under the "Administrative" category. Jobs in the "Scientific" category are in the intramural program at the Gerontology Research Center in Baltimore, MD. For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #173:Item 17, 13 February 2003).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Application Deadline for NIA Summer Workshop is February 28

(February 13, 2003) The National Institute on Aging (NIA) announces the annual Summer Institute on Aging Research, a weeklong workshop for investigators new to aging research, focused on current issues, research methodologies and funding opportunities. The program will also include consultations on the development of research interests. The 2003 Summer Institute will be held June 21 - June 27 in Airlie, VA. Support is available for travel and living expenses. Applications are due February 28th. To increase the diversity of participants, minority investigators are strongly encouraged to apply. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or permanent resident. For additional information, see the NIA website.

Scholarships Available for Summer GIS Workshops

(February 12, 2003) The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) is now accepting applications for positions and scholarships in its summer workshops. CSISS, funded by the National Science Foundation, is located at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and its programs focus on the methods, tools, techniques, software, data access, and other services needed to promote and facilitate a novel and integrative approach to social science. Summer 2003 workshops include: Population Science and GIS, Accessibility in Space and Time: A GIS Approach, Introduction to Spatial Pattern Analysis in a GIS Environment, and Geographically Weighted Regression and Associated Statistics. The application deadline is March 31, 2003. Awards of up to $500 may be made. Successful applicants will be notified via email by April 11. Details on application procedures and workshop content are available at: www.csiss.org/events/workshops.

Achievement Award to CDHA Faculty

(February 7, 2003) Stephanie A. Robert, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work, has just received the AGE-SW Faculty Achievement Award. This annual award is sponsored by the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work, and is reserved for an early-career social work faculty member who demonstrates significant contributions and potential in gerontological social work research, teaching, and leadership.

NIA Summer Internships Available for Graduate Students

(February 7, 2003) The NIA Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program has an opportunity available for graduate students to apply for internships in its office this summer. Interns will have the opportunity to learn the fine art of research administration while concurrently learning about cutting-edge research that is being conducted by BSR's grantees. Interested students can apply for "Administrative" positions or "Scientific" positions. The website for both internship opportunities is at http://summerjobs.info.nih.gov/ The deadline for "Administrative" positions is March 3 and the deadline for "Scientific" positions is March 1. Students must apply on-line to be considered, and on the application, the student can indicate a specific NIH Institute/Office of interest. For more information: To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service. CDHA's website also provides links to general funding announcements.

Deadline Approaches for RAND Postdoctoral Fellows Program

(January 31, 2003) The RAND Fellows in Population Studies and the Study of Aging program enables outstanding junior scholars in demographic and aging research to sharpen their analytical skills, learn to communicate research results effectively, and advance their research agenda. Fellowships are for one year, renewable for a second. Each fellow receives a yearly stipend of $38,250 to $50,000, depending on qualifications; health insurance will be covered. The RAND Fellows program is open to new scholars in the field of demographic or aging research, as well as individuals who have some research experience. The ideal postdoctoral fellow will have research interests that overlap at least to some extent with those of the RAND research staff, to facilitate training and collaboration. Applications will be reviewed beginning February 1, 2003. Applications may be accepted later if positions are not all filled. Information and application materials are available at: http://www.rand.org/labor/fellows/ or by contacting Penny Mastt at RAND, 1700 Main Street, M-12, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, (310) 393-0411 x7159 (phone), (310) 393-4818 (fax), or Penelope_Mastt@rand.org. RAND is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

NIH/NIA/NICHD Solicits Proposals

(January 14, 2003)The NIH/NIA/NICHD is soliciting proposals for two RFAs in mind-body and health research and one on linking education to health.

Mind-Body Interactions and Health: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invite applications for grants in support of research on mind-body interactions and health. A central goal of this program is to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in mind-body and health research. The NIH intends to commit approximately six million dollars in total costs to the RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM R24 grant and anticipates making up to six awards. The letter of intent must be received by June 16, 2003, and the application receipt date is July 16, 2003. The R21 EXPLORATORY/DEVELOPMENTAL AWARDS are intended to support the development and demonstrate the feasibility of programs at institutions that have high potential for advancing mind-body and health research, but have not yet fully achieved the necessary resources and mechanisms to qualify for a R24 Research Infrastructure Award. The NIH intends to commit approximately $2 million in total costs and anticipates making up to four awards. The letter of intent must be received by June 16, 2003, and the application receipt date is July 16, 2003.

Pathways Linking Education to Health: The goal of this RFA is to increase the level and diversity of research directed at elucidating the causal pathways and mechanisms that may underlie the association between education and health. Better scientific understanding of the causal pathways between education and health could lead to additional and improved prevention and therapeutic intervention strategies for important health problems. The participating IC(s) intends to commit approximately one and a half million dollars in FY 2003 and an additional one million in FY 2004 to fund 5 to 10 new and/or competitive continuation grants in response to this RFA. The letter of intent is due on February 28, 2003 and the application receipt date is March 26, 2003.

Sandell Grant Program Solicits Proposals from Junior Researchers

(January 7, 2003) The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College is soliciting proposals for the Steven H. Sandell Grant Program for Junior Scholars in Retirement Research. The program's purpose is to promote research on retirement issues by junior scholars in a wide variety of academic disciplines including actuarial science, demography, economics, finance, gerontology, political science, public administration, public policy, sociology, social work and statistics. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or comparable professional certification. Grant awards will be up to $25,000. The number of awards issued will depend on funding availability. Successful applicants will present their results to the Social Security Administration in Washington and will be eligible to apply for access to data sets matched with SSA administrative data. Submission deadline is March 14, 2003. Awards will be made in May and final projects must be completed within a year of the award. For more information: visit the CRR website.

Postdoctoral and Tenure Track Scientist Vacancies at U. Michigan

(November 27, 2002) The Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan is now searching to fill several positions. The first is a postdoctoral fellowship sponsored by NIH. The second is a new tenure-track position for a Research Scientist at the Assistant, Associate or Senior level. The NIH postdoctoral fellowships are sponsored by NIA and NICHD. Fellowships will begin on or about September 1, 2003 and the successful applicant will be based at the Population Studies Center or at the Survey Research Center in connection with the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) or the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Screening of applications begins January 15, 2003. The Research Scientist position is open to investigators at all levels of experience who have a demonstrated capacity for independent research. Applications in any branch of demography will be considered, but candidates specializing in international demography, aging, and race and ethnicity are especially encouraged to apply. Screening of applications will begin on December 16, 2002. For more information: postdoctoral vacancy announcement; research scientist vacancy announcement.

House and Senate Pass Data Confidentiality Bill

(November 20, 2002) On Friday, 15 November, both the House and Senate passed the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) by unanimous consent. CIPSEA provides a uniform set of confidentiality protections and extends these protections to all individually identifiable data collected for statistical purposes under a pledge of confidentiality and will permit the sharing of business data by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Bureau of the Census. For additional information: summary of the bill, full text of the bill.

ASA Solicits Membership Renewal for Section on Aging and Life Course

(November 14, 2002) Sociologists with interests in aging and the life course are invited to join the Section on Sociology of Aging and the Life Course of the American Sociological Association. Current members are reminded to renew their section membership for the coming year. Membership benefits include a section newsletter containing valuable information about new publications, data sets, research, and funding and job opportunities; symposia and roundtables at the Annual Meeting; year-round research committees on a broad array of topics; section membership directory; professional development opportunities for students, including an annual paper competition and mentorship; and a Distinguished Scholar presentation at the reception during the Annual Meeting. The number of sessions allotted to Aging/Life Course at the Annual Meeting is proportional to section membership. You can join or renew on-line. For more information: description of membership benefits; register for new membership on-line; renew your membership on-line; print a registration form.

UW to Award Annual Prize for Best Rural Health Paper

(October 8, 2002) The Hermes Monato, Jr., Essay Prize of $1000 is awarded annually for the best rural health paper. It is open to all students of the University of Wisconsin. Students are encouraged to write on a rural health topic for a regular class and then submit a copy to the Rural WIsconsin Health Cooperative as an entry by April 15, 2003. Further information: View the informational poster or the list of previous award winners and titles as well as judging criteria and submission information are available at http://www.rwhc.com/essay.prize.html.

NIA Career Development Award in Aging and Genetic Epidemiologic Research Methodology

(October 4, 2002) The National Institute on Aging invites applications for the Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award or the Mentored Research Scientist Award for career development in study design, data collection, and analytical methods for genetic epidemiological research that focuses on aging-related topics. Genetic epidemiology in age-related research is gaining importance and is accompanied by growing demand for expertise in study design, data collection and analytic outcomes. The expected expansion of the field requires an increased emphasis on training in methods unique to population-based research on age-related diseases and survival outcomes such as age of disease onset and disability, age-related rates of change, and exceptional survival phenotypes, i.e., unusually long survival before the occurrence of significant morbidity (health span), or disability (active life expectancy). The purpose of the grant is to develop expertise in genetic epidemiologic methods and techniques that can aid in identifying effects of genetic factors and elucidating gene-environment dynamics, such as gene-environmental interactions, gene-environment correlations, and age-related changes in gene expression on: rates of age-related behavioral, physiologic and pathologic changes, differences in age of onset of diseases and disabilities, and/or broader outcomes such as exceptional longevity in human populations.For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #155:Item 20, 3 October 2002).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

NIH Announces 3-5 Year Postdoctoral and Career Development Award

(September 24, 2002) The Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy is pleased to offer the fifth in a series of fall Seminars in Health Services Research Methods. Responding to continued great interest by Academy members and others in "Using Federal and State Databases," this fall's Seminars again feature a variety of databases. In addition, there are opening day plenary workshops focusing on data privacy, the use of non-health databases to supplement health databases, and the NCHS Trends in Health and Aging database warehouse. During the following two days, participants can choose up to two databases (one each day) to study in-depth with the database developers and other users. For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #153:Item 22, 19 September 2002).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

CDHA Researcher Awarded NIH Funds

(September 18, 2002) Stephanie Robert, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and a CDHA affiliate, has received NIH funding for a new project entitled "Community Context and Health Over the Life Course." The grant is co funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research. Prior funding and support from the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging led to the successful development of this project. The new NIH grant will be administered through the Center for Demography of Health and Aging, and includes UW investigators Bob Hauser (Professor, Department of Sociology), Carol Ryff (Professor, Department of Psychology), and Marsha Seltzer (Professor, School of Social Work). For more information: visit the CDHA Featured Projects page; contact Stephanie Robert (sarobert@facstaff.wisc.edu).

NCHS Solicits Proposals for Fellowship Program

(September 18, 2002) The Academy of Health Services Research and Health Policy funds investigators with ideas for research that utilize in-depth access to National Center for Health Statistics data systems and surveys. Funding is available for dissertators, postdoctoral researchers, and junior or senior researchers interested in sabbatical opportunities. The fellowship supports 13-24 months at NCHS. The deadline for applications is January 10, 2003. The funding period will begin in the fall of 2003. This is the second year of the program. For more information: visit the fellowship website.

ASA Solicits Members for Section on Aging and Life Course

(September 18, 2002) Sociologists with interests in aging and the life course are invited to join the Section on Sociology of Aging and the Life Course of the American Sociological Association. The Section's relatively small size provides an opportunity to become involved in its various activities. The cost is $13 for regular members and $6 for student members. For more information: description of membership benefits; register for membership. If you prefer to avoid web-based forms, you can register for membership by notifying Deborah Carr, the membership chair, (carrds@sociology.rutgerse.edu) and sending a check payable to the American Sociological Association to: Deborah S. Carr, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8045.

CRR Solicits Proposals for Sandell Grant

(September 18, 2002) The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College is soliciting proposals for the Steven H. Sandell Grant Program for Junior Scholars in Retirement Research. The program's purpose is to promote research on retirement issues by junior scholars in a wide variety of academic disciplines, including actuarial science, demography, economics, finance, gerontology, political science, public administration, public policy, sociology, social work and statistics. Applicants are required to have a Ph.D. or comparable professional certification. Grant awards will be up to $25,000 for each successful applicant. Successful applicants will present their results to the Social Security Administration in Washington and will be eligible to apply for access to data sets matched with SSA administrative data. The submission deadline for proposals is November 15, 2002. Awards will be made in January 2003 and final projects must be completed within a year of the award. For more details about the program, visit the CRR website, send email to crr@bc.edu, or call Kevin Cahill at (617) 552-1459, or Amy Chasse at (617) 552-1677.

AHRQ Announces MEPS Conference in October

(September 13, 2002) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will offer a workshop for researchers interested in using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). There is no charge for the workshop which will be held in Houston, Texas on Wednesday, 16 October 2002. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to: (1) identify the scope of topics and analytic detail that can be achieved with the MEPS, and (2) understand the structure and contents of the Household Component and the possibilities for linkage with the other components. For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #253:Item 19, 12 September 2002).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

Population Studies Center @ Michigan: Immediate Postdoctoral Vacancy

(September 10, 2002) The Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan has received funding for a new postdoctoral research position. The 2-year position is sponsored by NICHD. The successful applicant can start immediately. Priority will be given to applicants with interests in family, gender, and inequality. Applicants must have completed the Ph.D. before fellowship support can begin. Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. are eligible for funding. For information concerning the center, visit the PSC website. Questions concerning the postdoctoral position should be addressed to Lora Myers (phone: 734-998-8693, email: loram@umich.edu).

NSF Publishes New Grant Proposal Guide

(August 29, 2002) NSF has revised its Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) (NSF 03-2). The new document supercedes all prior versions of the GPG and is effective October 1, 2002. This revision implements many important changes to NSF policies and procedures. NSF strongly encourages grantees to review this document prior to the implementation date. Please note that, at this time, the GPG only is available in PDF. NSF anticipates that the HTML version will be added to the NSF Website by early September. For more information, view the new GPG.

UW and RWJ Announce Research Competition

(August 9, 2002) The University of Wisconsin-Madison anticipates receiving funds from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in September 2002 to sponsor a Health & Society Research Competition. The purpose of the research competition is to stimulate research in the field of population health and to encourage multidisciplinary collaborations among UW-Madison faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and community collaborators. Research funded through the Health & Society Research Competition should be consistent with the broader goals of The RWJ Health & Society Scholars Program, i.e. assessing the broad range of factors that influence health, as well as measurement issues related to population health. There will be two categories of awards available: collaborative pilot research proposals (up to $50,000/year); and population health essays (up to $5,000). Initial applications are due 15 September 2002. For details, please visit the UW Health and Society Program's website.

NCHS Fellowship Seeks Applicants

(August 2, 2002) The National Center for Health Statistics has partnered with the AHSRHP to sponsor a fellowship program for dissertators, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Two or three fellows are selected each year to spend a year at NCHS working on a project using one of the NCHS data sets. This is an opportunity to become expert in a number of NCHS data sets, especially with advanced linking capability not normally available in the public release forms. This year was the first for the fellowship program, and they did not receive many applications. Although two fellowships were awarded for the present year, one of the fellows dropped out at the last minute, leaving only one, so there may be an extra award in 2003-04. Applicants must demonstrate training and/or experience in health services research, reflecting academic disciplines such as: public health, public administration, health care administration, sociology, health economics, health statistics, anthropology, behavioral sciences or the health professions. Doctoral students in their dissertation phase, recent graduates of doctoral programs and junior faculty are encouraged to apply. For details, see the program brochure. For information on datasets at NCHS, browse the NCHS Data Warehouse. Additional details are available on the NCHS website. Applications are due in January 2003.

RWJ Announces 2 Year Postdoctoral Fellowship

(July 25, 2002) The Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program is designed to build capacity for research, leadership and action to effectively address the broad range of factors affecting health. The goal of the program is to improve health by training scholars to rigorously investigate the connections among biological, behavioral, environmental, economic and social determinants of health. The program will support 18 outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training to engage in an intensive two-year program at one of six universities including Columbia University, Harvard University, University of California at San Francisco and Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. Outstanding individuals who have completed doctoral training in one of a variety of disciplines, ranging from the behavioral and social sciences to the biological and natural sciences and health professions, are eligible. Past training in health-related areas is not a requirement. However, applicants must clearly connect their research interests to substantive population health concerns. Applications are due October 25, 2002 for the period of study to begin August 2003. For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #145:Item 25, 25 July 2002).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

NIH Announces 3-5 Year Postdoctoral and Career Development Award

(July 22, 2002) In an effort to advance research relevant to the mission of the National Institutes of Health (which includes basic biomedical, clinical biomedical, bioengineering, bio imaging, and behavioral research), the participating Institutes and Centers solicit applications for the Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) The K25 mechanism is meant to attract to NIH-relevant research those investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease. Examples of quantitative scientific and technical backgrounds considered appropriate for this award include, but are not limited to: mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, chemistry, and engineering. The award will provide support for a period of supervised study and research for productive professionals with quantitative backgrounds who have the potential to integrate their expertise with NIH-relevant research and develop into productive investigators. It is intended for research-oriented investigators from the postdoctoral level to the level of senior faculty. For details, check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #144:Item 19, 18 July 2002).To receive a weekly email containing similar funding announcements, subscribe to CAAR, CDHA's electronic report service.

CDHA Seeks NIA Postdoctoral Applications

(April 23, 2002) CDHA invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship in the demography of aging and the life course, funded by the National Institute on Aging. One NIA postdoctoral fellowship is available beginning as early as September 1, 2002. The CDHA program supports and develops the research and professional skills of recent PhD's in sociology, economics, or complementary disciplines and to focus those skills on significant theoretical, methodological, and policy issues in the demography of aging and the life course. The NIA fellow will be encouraged to affiliate with one of the major research projects in CDHA or in the Center for Demography and Ecology (CDE), among which are the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the National Survey of Families and Households, or Health Well-being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information: View the complete announcement; Learn more about CDHA projects: Learn more about CDHA; Learn more about CDE, Learn more about SSCC computing resources.

CDHA Workshop Announces Final Schedule

(April 10, 2002) CDHA will host a workshop that will bring together scholars who use a variety of methodologies for interaction-based research from April 12-14, 2002. Directions to the session sites and a final schedule are now available. Workshop organizers, Nora Cate Shaeffer, Douglas W. Maynard, and Jennifer L. Dykema, intend this to be an informal workshop for sharing experiences and techniques. The emphasis is on how investigations are conducted: audio and video hardware, analytic software, coding systems, computer use, project management. Also of interest are methods for protecting the anonymity and confidentiality of data concerning interactions. For more information: View the final program; Get directions; View session abstracts; View speakers; PDF of complete program (with preliminary schedule only).

NIH Announces Funding Opportunities in Behavioral and Social Sciences

(March 26, 2001) The National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, in conjunction with several other agencies announces "Human Subjects Enhancements Research Program" (RFA-OD-02-003). The purpose of this initiative is to provide short-term interim support for institutional activities that will strengthen oversight of human subjects research at institutions that receive significant NIH support for clinical research. A second funding initiative entitled "Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences" (PA-02-072) was also announced this month. The goal of this program announcement is to encourage research that will improve the quality and scientific power of data collected in the behavioral and social sciences, relevant to the missions of the NIH Institutes and Centers. Research that addresses methodology and measurement issues in diverse populations, issues in studying sensitive behaviors, issues of ethics in research, issues related to confidential data and the protection of research subjects, and issues in developing multidisciplinary, multi method, and multilevel approaches to behavioral and social science research is particularly encouraged. For details, subscribe to CAAR (CDHA's weekly Current Awareness in Aging Report) or check the CAAR Archive (CAAR #126:Item 24, 14 March 2002).

CDHA Announces April Workshop

(March 22, 2002) CDHA will host a workshop that will bring together scholars who use a variety of methodologies for interaction-based research from April 12-14, 2002.The last decade has seen increased interest in studying interaction in a wide variety of contexts. At the same time, technologies to collect, store, analyze, and disseminate interactional data have changed dramatically and become extremely sophisticated. Workshop organizers, Nora Cate Shaeffer, Douglas W. Maynard, and Jennifer L. Dykema, intend this to be an informal workshop for sharing experiences and techniques. The emphasis is on how investigations are conducted: audio and video hardware, analytic software, coding systems, computer use, project management. Also of interest are methods for protecting the anonymity and confidentiality of data concerning interactions. For more information: View preliminary conference schedule; View session abstracts; View speakers; PDF of complete program.

CDHA Project Publications via the Web

(March 21, 2002) CDHA is in the process of building a database of project publications. A preliminary version of the searchable database is now available on the CDHA website. The database is updated on a weekly basis. CDHA affiliates who would like their publications to appear in the database should send citations (including either a stable URL or electronic copy of the paper) to CDHA's Data Archivist. For more information, browse the projects link at the top of the page.

IGPA Call for Paper

Grants Available from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

2nd Stanford Workshop in Biodemography

21st Annual Colloquium on Aging

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Calls for Applications for Health Society Scholars

Health Literacy Research Conference

Multilevel Modeling Workshop

NIH Funding Opportunity

Call for Comment on Major Data Collections in Federal Government

NCOA Summer Internship

NIH Challenge Grants Request for Applications

NLS 2009 Summer Workshops

Summer Training in Demographic Analysis

National Academy of Social Insurance Summer Internships

Global Health and Innovation Summit

RAND Summer Institute

Call for Abstracts: 2004 NLTCS, Submission Deadline Extended

Health Data Interactive

PREHCO2 Preliminary Data and Documents Available

PREHCO1 Data and Documents Available

Randomized Clinical Trials Summer Institute

PRB Discuss Online

NIH 2009 Director's Pioneer and New Innovator Awards

NIH's New Transformative R01 Program

NSFH Wave 3 Available from BADGIR

NHMS Public Data Released

National Academies Policy Fellowship Call for Applications

Unite For Sight 6th Annual Conference

Brookdale Leadership in Aging Fellowship

NSFH wave 1 updated in BADGIR

Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging Conference

Journal of Aging & Social Policy Special Issue Call for Papers

IFA's 9th Global Conference on Ageing Update

Aging in Wisconsin Conference

RWJ Dissertation Grants

RWJ Course Development Grants

TILDA Health in Aging Conference

UW La Follette Spring 2008 Symposium

NIH National Graduate Student Research Festival

NIA Job Openings

Public Presentations on Health Disparities

Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Chicago

NIH Issues Revised Public Access Policy

NIH Supplement Grants

PSID Conference Call for Papers

Sandell Grant Program Solicits Proposals from Junior Scholars

Creating Aging-Friendly Communities Online Conference

Survival Analysis Seminar

Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Michigan

IFA’s 9th Global Conference on Ageing and Expo Ageing Design

Imaging the Aging Brain & the Potential Benefits of Physical Exercise

Carolina Population Center Postdoctoral Scholar

Responsible Conduct of Research Seminars

RWJ Scholars in Health Policy Research Program Calls for Applications

OnTheMap

2008 Conference on Global Health Workforce Call for Abstracts

19th Annual Colloquium on Aging

Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Poverty Center

PSID Pilot Grant Competition

UWPHI Call for Posters

WLS Turns 50

De Jong Lecture in Social Demography

NIA Cognitive Aging Summit

Restricted MEPS Data available at Census Bureau Research Data Centers

Population Health and Health Disparities Data

Happy 50th Anniversary, National Health Interview Survey

Post Doctoral training Program in Minority Aging and Health

Emerging Employment Patterns at Older Ages

National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Conference

Health Innovation Program Seminar

National Long-Term Care Survey Summer Workshop

International Research Scientist Development Awards

NIH Network and Internet Explorer 7

Trans-NIH Inflammation Working Group Seeks Public Comments

Current Concepts in Nutrition and Aging Conference

USPS Administrative Data

MIDUS Grant Competition

NCHS extramural research program funding

NHIS Poster Competition

Health Policy Research Awards