Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics

Aging and Cognition

Research Program

Aging and Cognition

While the healthcare profession has achieved remarkable progress in lengthening life expectancy, more must be done to ensure that those added years are healthier ones. Schaeffer Center experts are researching the fiscal and health consequences of an aging population and how we can improve the lives of older adults through interdisciplinary research.

Program Leadership

Julie Zissimopoulos, PhD

Co-Director, Aging and Cognition Program, USC Schaeffer Center
Co-Director, CeASES ADRD and AD-RCMAR
Senior Scholar, USC Schaeffer Institute
Professor, USC Price School

Mireille Jacobson, PhD

Co-Director, Aging and Cognition Program, USC Schaeffer Center
Senior Scholar, USC Schaeffer Institute
Professor, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Related NIH-Funded Centers

Our NIH-funded centers are advancing knowledge of the health, economic and social impacts of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Featured Research View All

Trends in Incident Dementia Diagnosis Before and After Medicare Risk Adjustment

The research assessed annual trends in incident ADRD diagnosis for all beneficiaries in MA and compared them with trends in traditional Medicare (TM) from 2016 through 2020.

Experts: Julie Zissimopoulos, Geoffrey Joyce, Mireille Jacobson

Estimates of Diagnosed Dementia Prevalence and Incidence Among Diverse Beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage

Expanding the Use of Brief Cognitive Assessments to Detect Suspected Early-Stage Cognitive Impairment in Primary Care

Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living with Dementia

Illustration of researchers and healthcare professionals examining a large brain with puzzle pieces, symbolizing scientific investigation of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

2026 Science of ADRD for Social Scientists Program

Join us Oct. 8-9 to learn about the biomedical and clinical foundations of AD/ADRD and recent scientific advances to inform social science dementia research.

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Featured Article

Does Medicare Advantage Deliver Better Care for Persons Living With Dementia Than Traditional Medicare?

With data available from CMS on all Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in private plans and traditional Medicare, researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center are driving new research on how payment structures impact the care of persons living with dementia.

Experts: Haley Garland, Johanna Thunell, Julie Zissimopoulos