Biological Sciences
Kaare Christensen, MD, PhD
Professor
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography
Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark
Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark
Kaare Christensen, MD, PhD
Professor
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography
Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark
Odense, Syddanmark, Denmark
Susan Alberts, PhD (she/her/hers)
Robert F. Durden Distinguished Professor of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Fernando Campos, PhD (he/him/his)
Assistant Professor
University of Texas, San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
James Carey, PhD (he/him/his)
Distinguished Professor of Entomology
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States
James W. Vaupel, PhD (1945 – 2022), was an international leader in demography and aging research and a pioneer in the field of biodemography. He was a highly creative researcher and very entrepreneurial in the development of new interdisciplinary research environments. This symposium highlights a few of the biodemographic research areas that Dr. Vaupel has been a catalyst for. Denmark was Dr. Vaupel’s home country during the last third of his life, and Dr. Christensen reports on findings from Danish nationwide genetic-epidemiological studies on twins and the oldest old: familial influence on aging phenotypes, cohort differences in health among the oldest old, associations of early life events with late life health, as well as tongue-in-cheek research on perceived age and teeth. Dr. Alberts discusses the ‘invariant rate of aging’ hypothesis that was developed by Vaupel and others. She presents comparative analyses from multiple nonhuman primate populations showing that, while life expectancy can continue to improve, we probably can’t slow the demographic rate of aging. Dr. Campos presents evidence from a wild baboon population in Kenya that glucocorticoid levels—biological markers of stress responses—are strong prognostic indicators of survival and may be key explanations of life span disparities.
Dr. Carey presents key discoveries from large-scale studies involving the Mediterranean fruit fly. These include the slowing of mortality at older ages, context-specific sex mortality differentials, a behavioral biomarker for morbidity, dietary conditions for maximizing lifespan versus reproduction and a stationary population identity whereby life lived equals life left.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Kaare Christensen, MD, PhD – Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Susan Alberts, PhD (she/her/hers) – Duke University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Fernando A. Campos, PhD (he/him/his) – University of Texas, San Antonio
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: James Carey, PhD (he/him/his) – University of California, Davis