Why it Matters

Emory’s Healthy Aging Study exists to help us better understand something that affects us all – aging. Aging directly impacts brain health, heart health, the immune system, and many other aspects of our overall well-being. Our goal is to recruit tens of thousands of participants and learn as much as we can about age-related changes. Through broad collaboration, we will share the information we collect with outstanding researchers at Emory and elsewhere.

We will be able to learn the most by studying a large and diverse group of people, and by gathering basic information about them over time. Our long-term approach will help us identify subtle differences in sleep habits, moods, cognitive status, activity levels, and more, that contribute to health. For that reason, participation in this study is open to anyone who is at least 18 years of age in the United States and its territories. It is also necessary (to ensure participant comprehension) that participants be able to read and understand English.

Joining this study is important because it will help us investigate numerous diseases all at once. By compiling basic information about each person, a standard health history, and enabling the inclusion of their medical records and other information, we will create an enormous database of study participants and connect them with leading clinical researchers. This information will be invaluable in its own right, but will also be crucial for other researchers interested in conducting sub-studies associated with aging.

In time, we hope to gain the ability to better predict – and treat – some diseases. Among our initial goals is the identification of predictors for Alzheimer’s disease. Eventually, we hope to have a positive impact on heart disease – and more.

The Emory Healthy Aging Study’s leadership team includes Allan Levey, MD, PhD, James Lah, MD, PhD, Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, Michele Marcus, PhD, MPH, Theodore Johnson, MD, MPH, David Roberts, MD, Sharon Bergquist, MD, and Richard Kuerston, MBA.