The Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging

CIHRA was formed from the merger of two ABOR-approved centers housed in CONHI, The Center for Healthy Outcomes in Aging* and The Hartford Center for Gerontological Nursing Excellence**, and will leverage their existing activities and many accomplishments for its foundation.

• CIHRA focuses on innovative wellness, strength-based, and resilience- and capacity-building research opportunities that translate into positive change from the level of individuals and families, to organizations and systems, and ultimately to communities and local, national, and global policies.

• CIHRA capitalizes on ASU’s strengths in aging by fusing academic disciplines, professional practice, technology, and community embeddedness. Its investigators blend expertise in prevention, behavior change, and intervention for midlife and older populations. As health-related researchers join with those in the Arts, Humanities, Design, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Journalism, Law, Engineering, and other disciplines, CIHRA will uncover keys to promote healthy aging.

* CHOA brought together investigators to develop and test interventions that promote the highest level of health and quality of life for individuals who are aging within a culturally diverse society. The center emphasized multidisciplinary, theory-based interventions across a variety of clinical settings. It served as a resource for faculty and students to obtain sponsored funding to perform clinical, interdisciplinary and translational research, improving scientific and cultural knowledge to benefit the aging population.

** The Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (HCGNE) at ASU CONHI was funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation. Its mission was to significantly increase the number of high-quality doctoral and post-doctoral level faculty in geriatric nursing needed to teach in graduate and undergraduate academic nursing programs throughout Arizona and surrounding Southwestern states.  Major emphasis was placed on preparing geriatric nursing faculty who have expertise not only in promoting healthy aging but also in meeting the unique and growing needs of the Southwest’s diverse elderly population in rural and urban areas.