The USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health (CBPH) is a multisite center located at the Andrus Gerontology Center of the University of Southern California and the Program in Geriatric Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of California at Los Angeles. It is one of 16 centers in the Demography and Economics of Aging Centers Program sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The overarching goal of CBPH is to enhance understanding of biological processes that contribute to population health at older ages and drive health disparities among disadvantaged sub-populations. Representing a unique and highly successful collaboration between USC and UCLA—two institutions with longstanding excellence in aging research—CBPH is the only NIA Demography of Aging Center focused on advancing the entire field of health demography by developing, validating, and disseminating new biological measures, data resources, and analytic tools for use by all population health researchers. CBPH has been at the forefront of integrating innovative biological measurement into population-based studies through theory-driven approaches, and it remains deeply committed to the ongoing development and validation of biological measurement protocols. A central aim of the Center is to improve understanding of how biological changes associated with life circumstances and environmental exposures (e.g., the exposome) affect downstream health outcomes.
What we aim to do
- Support and foster biodemographic research
- Further develop an active biodemographic research community
- Fund pilot projects to support the development of cutting-edge biodemographic research
- Support development and dissemination of innovative research technologies and data
What our research can help us better understand
- The effects of social, behavioral, biological, and medical factors on population health outcomes.
- The causes of observed racial, socioeconomic, and gender differences in population health in later life.
- The interdependence of health outcomes including chronic diseases, functioning changes, disability and mortality.
- Potential changes in the future rates of disease and functioning problems in the aging population.
Consulting for Population Studies
Through the External Research Resources Support Core (ERRSC), the CBPH provides consulting services to support the integration of biomarkers and contextual data into population-based studies of health and aging.
Biomarker Sub-Core
Offers strategic guidance and technical support for:
- Biospecimen collection, storage, and shipment
- Lab Selection
- RNA/DNA extraction, quality assessment, and sequencing
- Post-assay analysis, bioinformatics, and data interpretation
CBPH has supported studies across the U.S. and globally, contributing to successful biomarker integration in major surveys including HRS, MIDUS, Add Health, LASI, CHARLS, and IFLS.
Contextual Data Sub-Core
Provides access to the Contextual Data Resource (CDR) and custom consulting on:
- Geographic data linkage
- Processing and integration of environmental and social data
- Tools and training for modeling exposome-health relationships
Together, these services enable robust, scalable incorporation of biological and contextual measures into aging research, advancing methodological innovation across the field of biodemography.
A partnership between
- A joint center at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (P30 AG017625).