Genomics for Social Scientists | Centers on Demography and Economics of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias)

The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize researchers with genetic data and provide instruction on how to incorporate genetic information into social science analyses. This one-week genomic data workshop will focus on providing hands-on training for researchers working at the intersection of genetics and social science research, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) as a model. Using tutorial versions of the HRS core survey data and HRS genetic data files, the workshop will instruct on several current methods of genomic analyses. Lectures will also discuss issues surrounding collection of samples, working with labs, ethics, and collaboration with biological experts. A key component of this workshop is the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration among attendees, with University of Michigan investigators, and course instructors.

This year’s guest speakers include:

Pam Herd, Professor of Public Affairs and Sociology University of Wisconsin – Madison
Principal Investigator, Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

Ben Domingue, Assistant Professor, Stanford

This course is designed to primarily benefit researchers who already have experience conducting statistical examinations of behavioral traits, but who may have little or no genetic or biological training. Investigators interested in a better understanding of genomic analysis as it applies to social and behavioral science research are encouraged to apply.

Questions? Contact [email protected] for more information.

This course is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – National Institute on Aging (NIA) R25 AG 053227

Hosted by the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Instructors Brady T. West and Paul Schulz are kicking off the new PDHP workshop series with an overview of the Total Survey Error framework and its implications for survey research. This half-day workshop is geared toward survey researchers of all types and experience levels, and will cover the design, implementation, and monitoring of survey data collections using the TSE paradigm as a guiding set of principles. The workshop will use a mix of conceptual discussions and team exercises to explore both the underlying theory and real world applications of the TSE paradigm in survey research.

Topics include:

• Sources of survey error
• Quantifying and evaluating TSE in a data collection
• Implications of TSE for study design
• TSE reduction strategies
• Linking TSE and Responsive / Adaptive Survey Design

RSVP.

The 2018 IAPHS conference will feature the latest in population health science from diverse disciplines and promote exchanges about population health issues between scientists and stakeholders from policy and practice fields.

This year’s conference theme is: Pushing the Boundaries of Population Health Science: Social Inequalities, Biological Processes, and Policy Implications

The 2018 Program Committee co-chairs, Allison Aiello and Bob Hummer, both of UNC-Chapel Hill, have assembled a distinguished group of 27 other population health scientists to participate in planning the conference program.

Registration for the October conference will open April 1, 2018 for members of IAPHS and May 15 for non-members. Join IAPHS for early and deeply discounted conference registrations!

Shaping population studies at Michigan for five decades:

A celebration for two esteemed PSC colleagues, Al Hermalin and Ren Farley, who are each celebrating 50+ years as faculty members at the University of Michigan

NIA invites participants to a one-day meeting on research and training for individuals new to aging research as well as those underrepresented in aging research.

Regional Meeting Goals
– Provide information on existing opportunities for research and training
– Provide hands on technical assistance in grant writing
– Solicit advice on the design of new research opportunities
– Gain strategies for recruiting underrepresented students and investigators to aging research

Breakout sessions during the afternoon will allow participants to ask specific questions related to the NIA’s research divisions and programs, training, and small business innovation research and small business technology transfer programs.

NIA speakers include: Richard Hodes, Robin Barr, John Haaga, Felipe Sierra, Eliezer Masliah, and Kate Nagy.

No registration fee.

The event will be a half-day symposium at which scholars, public officials, private sector representatives, and other census stakeholders will address preparations for the 2020 Census and the challenges it faces, include funding, the proposed citizenship question, and the implications of an inaccurate count.

Preparations for the 2020 Census are underway, amidst conversations, controversy, and lawsuits over the possible addition of a citizenship question to the decennial survey. Join us as we bring together Census officials, stakeholders and scholars to discuss what’s at stake in 2020.

Agenda:

8:30 AM: Keynote by Al Fontenot, Associate Director, Decennial Census Program, U.S. Census Bureau

8:50 AM: Citizenship and Politics

Opening Remarks by Gary Peters, United States Senator for Michigan

Barbara Anderson, former chair of the U.S. Census Scientific Advisory Committee, Ronald A. Freedman Collegiate Professor of Sociology and Population Studies, University of Michigan

James House, Angus Campbell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Survey Research, Public Policy, and Sociology, University of Michigan

Angela Ocampo, LSA Collegiate Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan

Kurt Metzger, Mayor, City of Pleasant Ridge, MI | Founder and Director Emeritus, Data Driven Detroit (D3)

Moderator: Jeffrey Morenoff

**Break**

10:50 AM: Data Privacy and Science

John Eltinge, Assistant Director for Research and Methodology, U.S. Census Bureau

David Johnson, Director of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Research Professor, Survey Research Center at ISR

Joelle Abramowitz, Director of the Michigan Research Data Center, ISR

Moderator: Margaret Levenstein

GSA’s 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting will take place November 14-18, 2018 at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts and will focus on the theme, “The Purposes of Longer Lives” chosen by incoming GSA 2018 President, Dr. David Ekerdt, University of Kansas.

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary scientific organization devoted to the advancement of gerontological research, learning, and practice. Through its Annual Scientific Meeting, GSA offers nearly 4,000 international professionals in the field of aging the opportunity to learn the latest trends and development from industry leaders, build strategic partnerships to address aging challenges, and network with peers.

American Public Health Association (APHA)’s Annual Meeting and Expo is the largest annual gathering of public health professionals. More than 12,000 people attend, and thousands of new abstracts are presented each year, making APHA 2018 the most influential meeting in public health.
APHA’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo, Nov. 10-14
Theme: “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now”
Location: San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Dr. San Diego, CA 92101

How do we assure that America’s most popular and important domestic program achieves long-term financial balance?

What’s at stake? For most of the 20th century, Americans have been able to rely on multiple sources of retirement income – including Social Security, personal savings, pensions and employer-sponsored savings plans – to enjoy some measure of financial security during their later years. The significant reduction in poverty among older Americans through the Social Security program is one our nation’s most significant accomplishments.

The challenge we face: For a number of years, we have known that the protection provided by Social Security may not be 100% sustainable without some changes. The 2018 Report of the Social Security Trustees projects that the program’s revenues will be sufficient to pay all scheduled benefits until 2034, but 75% of scheduled benefits thereafter. If the Trustees’ projections hold, this means that workers retiring 16 years from now could receive only three-quarters of the benefits promised. Moreover, some polls have shown that many working Americans, especially Millennials, believe they will receive no Social Security benefits whatsoever. Clearly, Congress will need to act to bring the program’s finances into long-term balance and to restore public confidence, especially among current and future generations of workers. What might elected officials do to fix this major challenge facing our nation?

What are among the options? Henry Aaron, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, has developed a proposal for how to deal with Social Security’s long-term finances and how Congress might modify the program to better reflect economic, demographic, and behavioral changes, since Congress last enacted major Social Security legislation in 1983. Aaron is one of the nation’s preeminent experts on Social Security, Medicare, and budget policy.

Former Deputy Commissioner (Acting) and Chief Economist at the Social Security Administration, Jason Fichtner, will serve as the keynote presenter and describe Henry Aaron’s proposed program. Following Fichtner’s presentation, several other policy experts will discuss the implications of proposed changes to Social Security. The discussion will be moderated by Luke Shaefer, Director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.

Additional event speakers include:
William Arnone, CEO, National Academy of Social Insurance
Janet Barr, Actuary, American Academy of Actuaries
Rachel Greszler, Research Fellow in Economics, Budget and Entitlements, The Heritage Foundation
John Laitner, Director, Life-Cycle Economics, University of Michigan
Christopher O’Leary, Senior Economist, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Nirupama Rao, Assistant Professor, Business Economics and Public Policy, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

This free, educational forum is for concerned members of the academic community at the University of Michigan, as well as the Detroit-area community. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to get an inside look at what Congress may do, and what this might mean for workers and beneficiaries, today and tomorrow.

Michigan Host Committee:

Thomas Buchmueller, Waldo O. Hildebrand Professor of Risk Management and Insurance, and

Professor and Chair of Business Economics and Public Policy, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

John Laitner, Director Life-Cycle Economics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

Helen Levy, Research Professor, University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Luke Shaefer, Director, University of Michigan Poverty Solutions; Associate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work; Associate Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Erica Solway, Senior Project Manager, Health Michigan Plan evaluation, and Associate Director, National Poll on Healthy Aging, Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation, University of Michigan

About the National Academy of Social Insurance

Since the Academy was founded in 1986, it has hosted convenings designed to provide rigorous inquiry and insights into the functioning of our nation’s social insurance programs and how they can continue to meet the changing needs of American families, employees, and employers. Participants in Academy events gain valuable takeaways, including leading policy options, the latest research findings in various areas of social insurance, who’s who in the field, and which organizations are most engaged in these issues.