CHART has partnered with the Illinois Department on Aging to collaboratively approach issues facing older adults throughout the state of Illinois and provide solutions through research, and policy. This partnership provides a state-wide stage by which CHART researchers can translate novel solutions to everyday issues faced by older adults and allows for the Illinois Department on Aging to benefit from the research that is being done to allow older adults to age successfully.  As the statewide aging service provider, the Illinois Department on Aging has a deep understanding of the older adults in Illinois and can inform questions to have a direct impact on policy, services, and disparities.  The Illinois Data Science Initiative is an established data sharing agreement that allows for data collected by the Illinois Department on Aging to be shared and analyzed by University of Illinois faculty and students.  These analyses can then be shared back with the Department on Aging to provide a more in-depth understanding of the findings and inform programmatic and policy decisions.

Illinois faculty and students who are interested in being a part of this initiative should contact Brian Pastor at pastor2@illinois.edu