The Institute for Population Research (IPR) has embarked upon a new collaboration to form the Center for Aging Families (CAF). CAF brings together more than 50 affiliate scholars across social science and medical fields from The Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and Purdue University. This tri-university collaboration aims to deepen understanding of how family relationships shape the aging experience in the United States by combining disciplinary expertise to generate new scientific insights and expand research opportunities across institutions. Supported by a six-year National Institute on Aging (NIA) P30 grant, the center elevates the three partnering institutions as national leaders in research at the intersection of family life, health, and aging.

The Center is co-directed by Susan L. Brown, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at BGSU; Hui Liu, professor of sociology, Purdue University; and Sarah Hayford, Robert T. Lazarus Professor of Population Studies in sociology, and Rin Reczek, professor of sociology, Ohio State University.

Dr. Reczek, long-time affiliate of the Institute for Population Research, notes that CAF will be especially central in generating new leaders in the field of aging families — a key priority for NIA. “Families are central in all of our aging experiences, and understanding how and why families matter in aging processes is critical for population health and well-being. CAF will now be a central hub for scholars who are interested in this timely and important topic.” 

Reczek notes that CAF will enhance IPR’s reputation as the place for demographic research across the entire life span. CAF is integrated into IPR’s administrative programming and organization, and will support IPR affiliates in their undertaking of research in the second half of life. Reczek and Sarah Hayford (IPR’s director), with support from IPR staff, led the writing of CAF’s infrastructure grant.

Exploring the changing demography of aging families

The center will focus on three core research areas:

• The changing demography of aging families
• Aging family health
• Health disparities in aging families

Researchers will study how shifting family structures — such as delayed marriage, lower fertility, step families, and increasing rates of kinlessness — affect the health and well-being of adults in midlife and later life. These trends raise pressing questions about caregiving, social support, and long-term health outcomes as traditional family networks evolve.

Supporting emerging scholars and high-impact research

A hallmark of the center is its commitment to nurturing the next generation of scholars. The Emerging Scholars Program provides two-year research support, mentorship from senior faculty, and grant-writing guidance. Early-career researchers like Lauren Newmyer, assistant professor at BGSU and Shiro Fuyura, assistant professor at Purdue University, have already received funding to advance innovative work that bridges institutions and disciplines.

The Center also offers:

• Innovation Grants to spark new research initiatives
• Grant-writing training and working groups
• Data services, including access to the Ohio State University Federal Statistics Research Data Center and the American Population Panel
• A seminar series and annual conference

These initiatives are designed to create a vibrant, collaborative intellectual community and accelerate impactful research that shapes public health, policy, and community planning.

Improving quality of life for aging Americans

As the U.S. population ages rapidly, the need to understand how family relationships affect later-life health has never been more urgent. The Center for Aging Families aims to generate insights that will inform policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders across the country, helping them plan for a future in which older adults may have fewer family members to rely on for support.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and investing in emerging researchers, IPR and its partner institutions are building an influential hub for science that is greater than the sum of its parts to strengthen families and improve quality of life for aging Americans.