A Life Course Approach to the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases and Ageing

Diana Kuh, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Life Course Epidemiology at UCL, and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Public Health in the UK. Diana established and directed the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (LHA) at UCL between 2008 and 2017 and directed the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), the world's oldest continually followed birth cohort study that began in 1946. Diana created and advanced the field of life course epidemiology which studies how biological, psychological, and social factors across life affect adult health, ageing and chronic disease risk. In over 500 publications, Diana used data from NSHD and other cohort studies to show the influence of childhood development, prior health, and lifetime lifestyle and socioeconomic factors on musculoskeletal, cardiometabolic, cognitive and reproductive function and survival. Ezra Susser, M.D., Dr.P.H., is Professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry, at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute. As a psychiatric epidemiologist with a life course perspective, he has a wide range of work, including for example genomics, epigenetics, and social determinants of neurodevelopmental disorders. He has a special interest in the most marginalized populations, such as people who have severe mental disorders and/or are homeless. This pertains to his local work in New York City, as well as to his extensive research in less wealthy countries across several regions of the globe. Joanna M. Blodgett, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health in the Division of Surgery & Interventional Science at UCL in the United Kingdom. Originally from Canada, Jo is a life course epidemiologist whose primary research areas encompass ageing, physical activity, cohort studies, and women's health. She is particularly interested in the intersection of physical activity and women's health, from both population health and elite athlete perspectives. Yoav Ben-Shlomo, is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, having graduated in Medicine with an intercalated BSc in Human Psychology. He is internationally known for his work on life course epidemiology both at a conceptual as well as empirical level. He played a key role on studies as the Barry Caerphilly Growth study, The Hyderabad Nutrition trial and Christs Hospital School looking at early life exposures. He is also known in the field of neuroepidemiology, (e.g. Parkinson's disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis) and physical and cognitive ageing. He is the epidemiological lead for two large PD natural history cohorts as well as several PD trials (CHIEF-PD, PRIME-UK, PD-STRIPE). He advised the UK Department of health on disease modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis. He is a member of the Alzheimer's Society Scientific Advisory as well as the Alzheimer's Disease strategy board.