Join us for our fall seminar series in collaboration with the Demography & Economics of Aging Coordinating Center (DECC)!
Click here to sign up for information related to the seminar series. Registration links are provided below for each seminar.
Healthy aging is shaped by the exposome—the accumulation of environmental, social, and lived experiences across the life course that influence health, cognition, resilience, and disparities in aging. For researchers interested in incorporating measures such as climate exposures, neighborhood conditions, policy environments, stress, and accessibility into their research, understanding how these complex exposures should be measured and analyzed is critical. This seminar will introduce the Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center (GECC), an NIA-funded initiative working to advance and accelerate aging research through the development of guidance, best practices, and shared resources for the use of exposome data across disciplines. We will hold an inaugural seminar where GECC leadership will provide an overview of the exposome concept, GECC’s six domains, and ongoing efforts to develop and evaluate exposome measures and methodologies relevant to aging research. Subsequent seminars will focus on topics and themes of interest to the GECC/DECC research communities and will share opportunities, resources, and methods that support and enable innovative and interdisciplinary research.
Fall seminar dates & themes:
More details on each presentation are provided below.
Introduction to the GECC and Concept of the Exposome
Presented by: Drs. Jinkook Lee, David Knapp, and Sara Adar (GECC MPIs)
September 15th, 2026 at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET -
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The GECC is a multidisciplinary coordinating center that advances research on the various environmental exposures over the life course — known as the “exposome” — that affect Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) risk, resilience, and disparities. This seminar will provide an overview of the GECC, including our approach, structure, and new and soon-to-be available research resources, as well as a primer on the concept of the exposome and how it influences healthy aging.
Nature in the Exposome: Measuring Urban Greenspace for Dementia and Aging Research
Presented by: Drs. Ingrid Jarvis and Michael Brauer (Physical Environment domain co-lead)
October 20, 2026 at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET -
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Urban greenspace is a potential environmental factor linked to cognitive health, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and AD-related dementias (ADRD). Yet findings remain mixed, in part because studies use a wide range of greenspace measures that may capture different pathways linking the environment to brain health.
In this seminar, we will summarize evidence on urban greenspace and dementia, with a particular focus on how greenspace exposures should be conceptualized and measured in aging research. Drawing on recommendations from an interdisciplinary expert working group, we will discuss hypothesized mechanisms—including stress reduction, attention restoration, physical activity, social engagement, and reduced exposure to environmental harms—and consider how these pathways inform the selection of exposure measures.
We will review commonly used data sources and measurement approaches, highlighting the strengths and limitations of indicators such as tree canopy, parks, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The seminar will conclude with recommendations for selecting and applying greenspace measures in dementia and cognitive aging research, future research priorities, and opportunities to strengthen the rigor, comparability, and policy relevance of evidence on environmental influences on brain health.
Integrating Accessibility into Aging Research: Concepts, Measures, and Guidance
Presented by: David Van Riper (Community Services Environment Domain co-lead)
November 17, 2026 at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET -
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Throughout our lives, we accumulate exposures to destinations, such as parks, schools, grocery stores, clinics, hospitals, and restaurants, that shape our health behaviors and, ultimately, our health outcomes. Yet, our ability to engage with these environments is often geographically, demographically, or socioeconomically patterned. We can study these interactions or potential interactions through the lens of "access." This multi-dimensional concept encompasses availability, geographic accessibility, acceptability, accommodation, awareness, and accountability. This webinar will introduce this framework, describe how we measure it with a focus on geographic accessibility, and provide guidance on integrating these measures into aging research.
Modeling approaches for estimating the effects of risk factors using longitudinal life course exposure data: theoretical considerations and a practical case study
Presented by: Drs. Emma Nichols (Methods team lead) and Samer Atshan
December 15, 2026 at 12 PM PT/3 PM ET -
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Longitudinal data on risk factors at different ages across the life course are essential for gaining important insights into how the timing and accumulation of exposure to risk factors influence the risk of dementia. With increased interest in the exposome and life course research questions, there have been commensurate increases in data sources and methodological approaches for answering these questions using empirical data. Methodological approaches developed within specific disciplines have largely remained within disciplinary silos, despite their potential for broader applications. By enumerating these approaches in a single place and applying each approach to a data analysis case study, we aim to expand discovery in life course dementia research and help investigators align their research questions with appropriate analytic methods. In our case study, we used birth cohort data from the British National Child Development Study (NCDS) to evaluate the association between life course BMI and inflammation in later life, highlighting key implementation decisions and practical considerations to guide method selection in applied research.
The GECC is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) U24AG088894.