“They’re a very, very invisible population,” said Alexis Handal, a University of Michigan professor who co-leads the Michigan Farmworker Project alongside researcher Lisbeth Iglesias-Ríos.
In the news: “The invisible workforce behind Michigan’s $125B agriculture industry” on MLive
IN THE NEWS: “Adults face lasting effects months after RSV hospitalization” with Center Core Faculty Aleda (Allie) M. Leis, PhD, MS
“Since there are limited treatment options for RSV, it's important to understand the potential long-term outcomes of severe RSV infection so that clinicians and public health workers can identify who might benefit from additional follow-up after their illness. This information can also help inform efforts to prevent disease or reduce severity, such as through vaccination, which is now available to certain groups of adults.”
VIDEO: “One pioneering study provides decades worth of data on menopause” featuring the SWAN Study on Spectrum News
“If you open an endocrinology textbook and look at what hormone patterns look like across the menopause transition, that is data from SWAN ... SWAN is by far the largest, longest, most in-depth study of women traversing the midlife and menopausal transition and then following them into late adulthood” — Carrie Karvonen-Gutierrez, PhD, MPH (Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs, Epidemiology and Director, Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research)
ANNOUNCING: the Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research (CLEAR)
The Center for Midlife Science is now the Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research (CLEAR). Stay tuned!
IN THE NEWS: “Where Menopause Hits Hardest” with comments from Center Core Faculty Siobán D. Harlow, PhD
“Cardiovascular comorbidities such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes may also cause hot flashes way before a woman’s transition begins. It is likely that underlying cardiovascular conditions may increase risk of hot flashes, and frequent, high intensity hot flashes experienced for a long duration may increase cardiovascular risk.”
IN THE NEWS: “Where Are We On The Science Of Menopause?” with Center Director Carrie A. Karvonen-Gutierrez, PhD, MPH on Science Friday podcast (AUDIO 🔊)
“We need to understand better how those changes in physiologic health outcomes, including brain health, cardiovascular health, metabolic health... are persistent and associated with long-term health outcomes for major age-related diseases. And those changes that we might be looking at during the menopause include things like the timing of the menopausal transition, how quickly one goes through the menopausal transition, and how symptomatic their transition is.”
CONGRATULATIONS!: Center Doctoral Student Jillian Baker, MPH, BA receives award from the A. Regula Herzog Young Investigators Fund
Jillian Baker is the 2025-2026 recipient of the A. Regula Herzog Young Investigators Fund, an award designed to support research and training for junior researchers on women and aging. The Herzog Fund is part of the ISR Next Generation Awards from the Institute for Social Research. Jillian is excited to further her research on how intimate partner violence influences aging trajectories for women.
News
- Jan 07 2026: IN THE NEWS: “The invisible workforce behind Michigan’s $125B agriculture industry” on MLive
- Dec 10 2025: IN THE NEWS: “Adults face lasting effects months after RSV hospitalization” with Center Core Faculty Aleda (Allie) M. Leis, PhD, MS
- Nov 03 2025: VIDEO: “One pioneering study provides decades worth of data on menopause” featuring the SWAN Study on Spectrum News
- Oct 01 2025: IN THE NEWS: “Where Menopause Hits Hardest” with comments from Center Core Faculty Siobán D. Harlow, PhD
Publications
- Dec 13 2025: “Insomnia Symptoms, Sleep Duration and Risk of Falls in Older Adult Women: Findings from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation” Authors: Jillian S Baker, Michelle M Hood, Leslie M Swanson, Christopher E Kline, Kelly R Ylitalo, Jane A Cauley, Robin R Green, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez
- Dec 07 2025: “Hepatic steatosis in postmenopausal women is characterized by distinct serum extracellular vesicle proteomic signatures” Authors: Patrick Pirrotte, Brooke Lovell, Siobán D Harlow, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez, Michelle M Hood, Ignazio S Piras, Xiumei Wu, Melissa N Martinez, Ritin Sharma, Krystine Garcia-Mansfield, Maya Willey, Johanna K DiStefano
- Nov 27 2025: “Work as a Predictor of Ethylenethiourea (ETU) Exposure During Pregnancy Among Participants Enrolled in the SEMILLA Birth Cohort Study” Authors: Alexis J Handal, Fadya Orozco, Stephanie Montenegro, Nataly Cadena, Fabián Muñoz, Eileen Ramírez Del Rio, Niko Kaciroti
Project: SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study
The SWAN Multi-Pollutant Study (MPS) was initiated in 2016 to examine health effects of multiple environmental chemical exposures, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), metals, phenols, phthalates, and organophosphate pesticide among midlife women. Funded through two R01 grants by the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences (NIEHS), the SWAN MPS specifically investigates 1) obesity, type-2 diabetes and related metabolic endpoints; and 2) reproductive health including sex steroid hormones, age at menopause and ovarian aging).
Project: Michigan Farmworker Project (MFP)
The Michigan Farmworker Project (MFP) is a community-engaged project that aims to provide a deeper understanding of the complex working and living conditions of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the state of Michigan and the relationship with health outcomes in this population. The MFP seeks to identify indicators of labor exploitation in farmworkers and relate this understanding to farmworker’s psychosocial, occupational and environmental risk factors as well as gaps in service provision and recommendations from farmworkers themselves to address their current working and living conditions.
Project: Michigan Bone Health & Metabolism Study (MBHMS Bone Strength)
The 36-year MBHMS follows the daughters of participants in the historic Tecumseh Community Health Study to evaluate the impact of aging-related processes including menopause and the secular increase in obesity on the development and progression of musculoskeletal disease and declines in physical functioning. This study addresses a significant gap in scientific knowledge that impedes our ability to optimize fracture prevention strategies. If our hypotheses prove correct, baseline external bone size may be used as an additional parameter to identify women most likely to lose bone strength rapidly during the MT and who might benefit from early intervention.