December 2025 - Cognition Data in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)

December 8-10, 2025 (M-W) 10:00am-3:00pm EST

Cognition Data in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a 3-day online (Zoom) workshop with a special focus on the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP). HCAP was designed by the HRS team in consultation with several of its international partner studies to provide a flexible but comparable instrument for measuring cognitive function among older adults in the HRS and in studies around the world.

Content lectures delivered by HRS co-investigators and content area experts will cover:

• Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol protocol administration
• Estimating MCI and dementia prevalence in the US using HCAP
• Measuring cognition in low-income countries
• Gateway to Global Aging HCAP Data
• Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease
• Using HRS core data to create predicted dementia scores

Data labs will focus on best practices for modeling cognitive change over time using linear mixed effects models and best practices for cross-national comparisons modelling.

Students will have the opportunity to present research ideas and receive feedback from the workshop faculty and other students. The course is designed for those with experience using HRS data or for those who have taken the introductory workshop.

Amanda Sonnega is a Research Scientist in the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan (UM), where she directs communication, outreach, and education efforts for the Health and Retirement Study. She received her Ph.D. through the Department of Health, Behavior & Society at the Johns Hopkins University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship within the ISR program in Social Environment and Health. She has lectured in the UM School of Public Health, teaching Psychosocial Factors in Health-related Behavior. Her research focuses on life course trajectories of physical and mental health; institutional and personal factors associated with vulnerability and resilience in aging individuals; and work transitions and their broad effects on health and well-being.

The Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques provides rigorous and high quality graduate level training in all phases of survey research. The noncredit courses are open to all. The courses are live online via Zoom. Registration and payment are required. Course fees are based on the total number of hours assigned to each course, the hours are listed on the course description. The 2025 schedule lists additional courses. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please use the online contact form or email the Summer Institute at [email protected] .