Exciting New Opportunities for Health and Aging Research in BC
On May 21st 2009, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) was officially launched with an announcement by the federal government of $30 million in funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The CLSA is a large, national, longitudinal study of aging and will be carried out by a multi-disciplinary research team comprised of more than 160 researchers from 26 universities across Canada. Approximately 50,000 Canadian men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 will be enrolled. Data pertaining to demographic, social, physical/clinical, psychological, economic, and health service use will be collected every 3 years for at least 20 years, and 60% of participants will provide additional comprehensive health information through physical examinations and biological specimen collection. CLSA data will be supplemented by linkage to health administrative databases in partnership with provincial agencies, and with the informed consent of participants.
The CLSA will be one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind in the world, and has strong BC representation through the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, and the University of BC (including the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics).
The ultimate aim of the CLSA is to provide a research platform that will allow examination into ways to improve the health of Canadians by better understanding the processes and dimensions of aging. The data collected will generate new knowledge on the many complex and interrelated biological, clinical, psycho-social, and societal factors that affect aging by facilitating interdisciplinary research. The linkage of CLSA data to administrative databases will also provide important complementary information on the primary drivers, and changing patterns of, utilization of health services and medication, as well as causes of death amongst the CLSA cohort.
The CLSA will create a platform upon which BCNAR researchers may connect and collaborate with other researchers, clinicians, academics, and other public and private partners involved in the CLSA. In addition, new investigators, trainees, and students will have opportunities to work and learn within inter-disciplinary research environments where the biological, clinical and social sciences coalesce to produce innovative approaches to the study of adult development, disease evolution, and healthy aging.
Please watch the BCNAR website for future updates on CLSA progress. For further information on the CLSA in BC, please contact Heather Stewart at hgstewart@sfu.ca or 778.782.8614.
For more information on the CLSA, go to www.clsa-elcv.ca
