Who We Are
The Demography & Economics of Aging Coordinating Center (DECC) is the administrative and collaborative hub for 16 NIA-funded Demography & Economics research centers focused on aging and Alzheimer's disease. Led by Co-Directors Gina Rumore, Cathy Fitch, and Rob Warren–learn more about DECC leadership, we work to maximize the collective impact of the D&E Centers network while supporting individual center success.
Our Mission
We increase the efficiency, productivity, and impact of the D&E Centers beyond what they can accomplish in isolation by:
- Serving as the administrative hub of the D&E Centers
- Facilitating synergistic collaborations to catalyze impactful aging research
- Expanding research impact through effective dissemination
- Coordinating tracking and reporting to reduce redundant effort and increase productivity
Our objective is simple: make the whole more productive and impactful than the sum of its parts.
Our Vision
We envision the DECC as a central hub of innovation, information exchange, and collaboration—creating a vibrant nationwide community of aging and AD/ADRD scholars who are better informed, supported, and connected to address urgent aging-related challenges.
We connect the D&E Centers to one another, to NIA, to other NIA-funded networks, to policymakers, and to the public. Through our work, we aim to grow and broaden the aging research community while advancing NIA's goals in demography, economics, and interdisciplinary population-based social science.
The D&E Centers Network
With aging populations rapidly increasing worldwide, we face new challenges and opportunities in health care and retirement systems, long-term care, and family support. The Centers on the Demography and Economics of Aging and Centers on the Demography and Economics of Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias support innovative research and advance scientific discourse to inform and address these critical issues.
Our Approach
We leverage the strengths and resources of individual centers to increase efficiency, reduce redundancies, and maximize research productivity. Before implementing new activities, we seek input from all center directors, core leads, and administrators. We're committed to helping maximize the potential of our centers, scholars and the D&E Centers Program as a whole.