Research in Hispanic Older Populations

Welcome to the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centerto the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center

Our collaborating center fosters research to improve the health of Hispanic older populations by establishing collaborations with institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Center is also committed to training scholars with a cross-cultural, multidisciplinary perspective.

Collaborating centers are designated by the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Director-General to carry out activities in support of the WHO's programs. Our center plays an essential role in research and clinical training in public health, geriatrics, and gerontology. UTMB Center Members are leaders in providing technical expertise to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries through population data, proven best-practice tools, and research collaborations.

Currently, only a few WHO Collaborating Centers focus on research and training in aging/geriatrics. We are unique in that we focus on Latin American and population-based research. With the renewal of our collaborating center, we join the PAHO in the global initiative to conduct activities under the Universal Decade of Healthy Aging plan.

Contact Us

World Health Organization / Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) Collaborating Center on Aging and Health
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77555-0177
P: (409) 747-0008
E: whopaho.aging@utmb.edu

Supported by:

Highlights

Center Highlights

7th Annual Workshop of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) Users

October 2022:
The 7th Annual Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) Users workshop was held virtually on October 17-18, 2022. The International Conference is co-organized with the Mexican National Institute of Geriatrics (Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, INGER). The program included 32 oral presentations (18 established investigators and 14 students) representing 17 different institutions in 6 countries. The meeting included attendants from Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Japan, Singapore, and The Netherlands. There were 9 presentations from UTMB scholars. More than 110 people registered to attend the conference, with 60-80 attendants per session.
Dr. Wong Appointed as the Sheridan Lorenz Distinguished Professor in Aging and Health

July 2022:
Rebeca Wong, PhD, has been appointed as the Sheridan Lorenz Distinguished Professor in Aging and Health in the School of Public and Population Health through June 2025. Dr. Wong is a Professor in the School of Public and Population Health; Director of the WHO/ PAHO Collaborating Center on Aging and Health; and Associate Director of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center as well as the Sealy Center on Aging.
Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting - Atlanta

April 2022:
The 2022 Population Association of America Annual (PAA) Meeting was held in person and online, April 6-9, 2022. UTMB scholars and past visiting scholars participated in the 2022 Annual Meeting. During this meeting Dr. Downer presented collaborative work with Dr. Samper-Ternent using the MHAS data, “Cohort Differences in Difficulty Performing and Receiving Help for Activities of Daily Living Among Mexican Adults Aged 60–76 in 2001 and 60–76 in 2018”. Also during this meeting, Dr. Sadaf Milani presented another collaborative work with Drs. Wong and Samper-Ternent on “Pain Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older in the United States and Mexico”.