By the year 2050, the number of Chinese citizens over the age of 65 is expected to reach 329 million. About 120 million of those people will be over age 80, with some 20 percent suffering from dementia. If life expectancies continue to rise as expected, Alzheimer’s disease could be not only one of the most prevalent diseases in China, but also the costliest, according to medical researchers. With sobering statistics like these in mind, Washington University in St. Louis and its partner universities in Greater China came together for a major conference, the “Forum for Greater China: An Aging Population.” The goal of the conference, held Jan. 21 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Shanghai, was to stimulate collaborative research and conversation that will advance solutions to the challenges posed by China’s aging population. The universities represented at the forum, along with others from around the world, partner through Washington University’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy to address global challenges such as aging, energy and the environment, food and water, and public health.
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