About Us

The Center on Aging and Health (COAH) was established in 1997 as a center of excellence for aging research at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. It is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Other core partners include the School of Nursing and the departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Policy and Management, and Mental Health.

COAH is home to an interdisciplinary group of research faculty from all three schools, as well as the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (Pepper Center)  and other key research programs.

COAH is a hub for graduate programs and postdoctoral training focused on aging, and supports the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Certificate in Gerontology program.

COAH is a focal point for interdisciplinary aging research and training at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. COAH aims to establish a critical mass of cutting-edge, multidisciplinary science designed to optimize health in aging and to provide the necessary expertise and infrastructure for the sustainable conduct of such research and its translation into improving the health of older adults. COAH also serves as a training ground for the next generation of researchers on aging.

The goal of COAH is to promote the intellectual interactions that are essential to creative approaches to solving the important health and health care problems for an aging population. The core research in COAH involves population-based and clinical research on the causes and consequences of diseases, frailty and disability in older adults, characterizing groups at risk of adverse health outcomes, identifying causes and developing methods for screening and prevention.

Research at COAH covers the full spectrum of aging research, from the biology of aging to health policy, facilitating the translation of research discoveries into applications that will directly improve the health of older adults. COAH provides key infrastructure that supports clinical- and population-based research and education, with expertise in research with older adults.

COAH is located on the Johns Hopkins East Baltimore campus.

Our Mission

Our mission is to optimize the health and well-being of older adults through innovative research, leadership, education, and service that meet the needs and goals of a diverse aging population.

Priorities

  • Serve as a collaborative, multidisciplinary hub of science and translation in the field of aging.
  • Conduct cutting-edge research that will result in longer and healthier lives for older adults.
  • Train the next generation of scholars who will propel and advance the challenging fields of gerontology and geriatrics for future generations.
  • Translate scientific advances into new and better models of clinical care and health promotion for older adults.
  • Build and strengthen community partnerships that enhance quality of life for older adults and their families.
  • Apply life-course perspectives that view aging and successful adaptation as processes that unfold across the entire lifespan.

Affiliated Research Facilities

Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center - Bayview Medical Campus, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

Geriatric Health Service Research - Mason F. Lord Building, Suite 7000, Baltimore, MD 21224

John R. Burton Pavilion - Bayview Medical Campus, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, MD 21224

Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention - 5 Public Square, Professional Arts Building Hagerstown, MD 21740