Population Aging Center

July 24, 2008

Jane Menken gave a keynote address at the University of the Witwatersrand Faculty of Health Sciences Research Day on August 4, "Contributions of longitudinal study sites to understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa."

Jane Menken chairs the Panel on Aging in Africa of the Committee on Population at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The Panel held a Workshop on Aging in Africa in South Africa July 26-29. Several participants were CU researchers or CU Population Aging Center (PAC) Associates. The Workshop began in Limpopo Province with a visit to the Agincourt Health and Population Program, run by the University of the Witwatersrand and headed by PAC Associate Steve Tollman. The afternoon session included presentations of current research, most of which is being carried out as collaborations between WITS and IBS researchers. Sam Clark presented a study of the survival of AIDS orphans; WITS research and PAC Associate Mark Collinson presented work with Clark and CU undergraduate Kyle Drullinger on the high mortality of return migrants, a phenomenon they refer to as "coming home to die." Enid Schatz discussed the study of older women and their experience with AIDS that she is conducting with a WITS PhD student. WITS researcher and PAC Research Associate Wayne Twine presented research he and Lori Hunter are conducting on the impact of AIDS on environmental resource use.

The Workshop continued its meeting, with Menken as Chair, in Johannesburg at the University of the Witwatersrand. Clark presented a paper on the HIV/AIDS simulation model he is developing, which includes modules to simulate the impact of various treatment strategies. A paper by Kuhn, Menken and PAC Associate Omar Rahman on self-reported and observed health measures as predictors of subsequent mortality was presented by Menken. PAC Research Associates Alex Ezeh and Kathy Kahn also gave papers, on health and aging in Nairobi and in the Agincourt study respectively.

The Panel on Aging met July 29-30 and is preparing a report to NIH on needs for research on Aging in Africa.

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