Behavioral and Social Sciences
Katrina Walsemann, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)
Roger C. Lipitz Distinguished Chair in Health Policy and Professor
School of Public Policy
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland, United States
Sara Moorman, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers)
Professor of Sociology
Sociology
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States
Mateo Farina, PhD
Assistant Professor
Human Development and Family Sciences
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, United States
Katy (Qiuchang) Cao, PhD (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
College of Social Work
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS (they/them/theirs)
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Nicole Hair, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
Health Services Policy and Management
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
This session, which brings together a set of papers from participants in the Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia in Diverse Populations (EdDem), attends to the relationship between education and cognitive function and dementia in later life. The papers in this session explore two major themes. First, they examine the role of early and mid-life influences on these relationships. How do exposures to poor health in early life influence both educational attainment and subsequent risk for poor cognitive outcomes in later life? How does the content of early life schooling, including the rigor of the curriculum, influence both educational attainment and subsequent risk for poor cognitive outcomes in later life? The papers also consider the role of midlife factors, including occupation, health behaviors, and health conditions, in mediating the relationship between education and later life cognitive outcomes. Finally, these papers explore how the relationship between education and later life cognition varies within and across middle- and high-income countries. Overall, this set of papers helps unpack the persistent and robust relationship between education and cognitive function and dementia in later life. Session attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the NIH-funded EdDem network, including funding and network related opportunities.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Sara M. Moorman, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – Boston College
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Mateo Farina, PhD – University of Texas at Austin
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Katy (Qiuchang) Cao, PhD (she/her/hers) – Florida State University
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS (they/them/theirs) – University of Pennsylvania
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nicole Hair, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of South Carolina