The Center for Midlife Science is now the Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research (CLEAR). Stay tuned!
ANNOUNCING: the Center for Lifecourse Epidemiology and Aging Research (CLEAR)
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.
PUBLISHED: “Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Female Reproductive Aging ” with lead author and Center Doctoral Student Jiaxin Wu, MPH
Congratulations to Center Doctoral Student Jiaxin Wu, MPH, on her first publication as a lead author in Seminars in Reproductive Medicine.
“Female reproductive aging often affects women's emotional, physical, and physiological well-being. Ovarian aging is characterized by fluctuations in reproductive hormones and determines the age at which menopause occurs. Understanding potentially modifiable factors that influence this process is essential for addressing health disparities, improving quality of life, and informing relevant public health strategies. ”
In the news: “Women farmworkers in Michigan face unique work challenges” on Michigan Public
“We are finding exploitative conditions that are unique for women farmworkers around issues of sexual harassment, exposures during pregnancy, challenges with obtaining and having access to proper hygiene and sanitation, particularly during menstruation, and also really important aspects of work-life balance and child care issues that women farmworkers in particular face-” — Alexis J. Handal, PhD, MPH (Co-Study Lead, Michigan Farmworker Project).
In the News: “What Do We Know About Environment, Climate, And Menopause? Not Enough” with Center Core Faculty Sung Kyun Park, ScD, MPH
“Our data suggests that women with higher blood concentrations of PFOA and PFOS reached menopause earlier … than those with low exposure. This is equivalent to the effect of cigarette smoke, a known reproductive toxicant, where we compared current smokers and nonsmokers.”
News
- Oct 02 2025: EVENT: “Menopause: It’s a Movement” with Center Director Carrie A. Karvonen-Gutierrez, PhD
- Oct 01 2025: IN THE NEWS: “Where Menopause Hits Hardest” with comments from Center Core Faculty Siobán D. Harlow, PhD
- Aug 14 2025: IN THE NEWS: “Is menopause making you tired?” on WeightWatchers, with comments from Center Core Faculty Siobán D. Harlow, PhD
- Jul 28 2025: 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 🔊)
Publications
- Sep 29 2025: “Development and Validation of the Mobility in Middle-Age Questionnaire (MMQ)” Authors: Roee Hayek, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez, Jonathan F Bean, Jack M Guralnik, Kenneth Covinsky, Jay R Hoffman, Michal Azmon, Galit Yogev-Seligmann, Gregory Krautner, Odelyah Saad, Yaniv Nudelman, Rebecca T Brown, 1 more
- Sep 16 2025: “Precarious Work and Chronic Disease: Lessons Learned from the US National Agricultural Worker Survey (1999-2020)” Authors: Iglesias-Rios L, Li K, Handal AJ, & Wang L.
- Sep 02 2025: “Contrast Sensitivity Impairment Is Associated With Limitations of Physical Functioning and Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults” Authors: Navasuja Kumar, Mohammed Kabeto, Andrzej T Galecki, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez, Joshua R Ehrlich
Project: Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
Now in its 30th year, the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation is a multi-site, multi-ethnic longitudinal, study designed to examine the health — physical, biological, psychological and social changes — of women during the midlife and as they age. The resulting research helps scientists, health care providers and women learn how mid-life experiences affect health and quality of life during the midlife and as they age.
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 35-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.