Center for Healthy Aging Research
A hub for advancing health services, observational, and interventional research which conceptualizes and optimizes factors leading to health, well-being, and health equity in older adults.
Overview
While New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country and is ranked the 2nd wealthiest by per capita income, there is a health and wellbeing paradox in New Jersey, especially for aging populations. The Center for Healthy Aging Research, led by Dr. William Hu, aims to create a platform on which clinicians, researchers, caregivers, community partners, and patients can combine resources to gather patient-centered research and develop evidence-based care strategies focused on the “whole person” rather than on their ailments. With existing gaps in research and practice, there is an enormous opportunity advance healthy aging at Rutgers and New Jersey.
In the News
“The Center works to advance research on health, well-being, and health equity in older adults through the NIH-designated Resource Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research in Asian and Pacific Americans, and Core members’ work on Long-COVID, Multiple Sclerosis, older adult independence, blood and digital biomarkers for cognition, as well as end-of-life care in cancer and other terminal illnesses.”
William T. Hu, MD, PhD, FAAN
Associate Professor and Chief of Cognitive Neurology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
To develop a hub for advancing health services, observational, and interventional research which conceptualizes and optimizes factors leading to health, well-being, and health equity in older adults.
Vision
- Catalyze synergy in interdisciplinary collaboration to expand research funding on aging issues.
- Translate knowledge generated to inform the health care system to better serve the needs of aging populations.
- Educate family members, policy makers and the public to improve health and wellbeing of aging populations and to disseminate novel educational resources to older adults, families and communities.
- Ignite reciprocal and sustainable partnership with diverse regional communities serving NJ aging populations and create a platform for synergetic collaboration.
Values
Excellence, Collaboration, Diversity, Innovation, Accountability and Leadership
Resource Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research in Asian and Pacific Americans
Asian Americans represent the fastest-growing racial group in the US, with those 65 years of age or older growing by more than 70% in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY, NJ, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area since 2012. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are the fastest-growing causes of death in older Asian Americans, but sociocultural and methodological issues likely underestimate the prevalence and impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The NYC/NJ-based Rutgers-NYU Resource Center on Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research in Asian & Pacific Americans (RCASIA) has the mission of advancing Asian and Pacific American Alzheimer’s and related dementias-related brain health through developing the next generation of scientists through innovative models of mentoring pods and data sharing across micro-cohort.
Learn more about RCASIA
Core Members
William T. Hu, MD, PhD, FAAN
Michelle Chen, PhD
Login S. George, PhD
Edmarie Guzmán-Vélez, PhD
Associate Center Members
Takashi Amano, PhD
Joshua W. Miller, PhD
Stephen Crystal, PhD, MA
Ryan Dougherty, PhD
Hilary Grosso Jasutkar, MD, PhD
Donald R. Hoover, PhD, MPH
Fred Kobylarz, MD, MPH
Karthik Kota, MD
Fangyu Liu, PhD, MHS
Elizabeth Luth, PhD
Ann-Marie Raphail, PhD
Mara Getz Sheftel, PhD
Nathan Wages, PhD
Cui Yang, PhD
Adjunct Center Members
Keith Chan, PhD, LMSW
Iris Chi, DSW
Emerson Ea, APRN, DNP, FAAN
Simona Kwon, DrPH, MPH
Feng Vankee Lin, PhD
Mary Mittelman, DrPH
Dena Schulman-Green, PhD
Melissa Simon, MD, MPH
Bei Wu, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE
Research Staff
Gabriella Dumbrique
Samantha Feaser, EdM
Craig Newcomb
Aabha Vora, MPH
Hayley Horvath, MPH, CPH
Allison Robinson
Stephanie Bergren, BA
Chun-Yuan Chang, PhD
Milota Kaluzova, PhD
Lisa Lanza, PhD, MPH, RDN, CLC
Michelle Migut, DNP, APRN
Ashima Nayyar, PhD
Sarah Singer
Victor Sotelo
Guibin Su
Contact Us
Email: william.hu@rutgers.edu
![](https://ifh.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/RHIHHCPAR_H_WHITE.png")