Featuring:
Tyson H. Brown, Ph.D., Duke University
Advancing Aging Health Equity through Novel Measures and Models of State-Level Structural Racism: Challenges and Opportunities
and
Jennifer Karas Montez, Ph.D., Syracuse University
U.S. State Policy Contexts and Population Health
This webinar will be hosted by the Coordinating Center for the Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias.
Presentation abstracts and information
Advancing Aging Health Equity through Novel Measures and Models of State-Level Structural Racism: Challenges and Opportunities
Tyson H. Brown, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Associate Professor in Medicine
Associate Scientific Director of Social Sciences, Duke Aging Center
Duke University
The upcoming talk will focus on innovative and best practices for measuring and modeling state-level structural racism to advance aging health research. It will highlight the importance of developing rigorous, theory-driven tools that capture the interconnected and dynamic nature of structural racism at the state level. By examining state policies, systems, and collective logics that drive racial inequities, the presentation will explore how these factors impact aging health outcomes. Special attention will be given to addressing the limitations of current measures, offering interdisciplinary strategies to ensure that measurement tools align with the core features of structural racism. The talk will also integrate life course principles to underscore how state-level racism influences health trajectories over time, advocating for more robust, evidence-based approaches to deepen understanding in this critical area of public health.
U.S. State Policy Contexts and Population Health
Jennifer Karas Montez, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Gerald B. Cramer Faculty Scholar in Aging Studies
Director, Center for Aging and Policy Studies
Co-Director of the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab
Syracuse University
U.S. states have always had a decisive role in shaping the day-to-day lives of individuals. This role appears to have increased since the 1980s, with potentially profound consequences for population health. This presentation will summarize findings from recent studies that have connected the dots between changes in states’ policy contexts in recent decades and changes in population health. The presentation will also highlight new directions in this area of research, including examining the joint impact of state policy contexts and local economic conditions.