Abstract submission deadline: September 30, 2021.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT ONLINE (no more than 300 words)
Background and Aims
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) affect the health and well-being of aging adults in many ways, yet older adults’ adoption and use of new ICTs lag behind those of younger people. Understanding older adults’ diverse needs and preferences is essential for facilitating the learning and use of eHealth/mHealth tools by older adults and their caregivers. To address the intersection of current trends in aging and technology requires interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration. The Aging and Health Informatics Conference (AHIC) aims to provide a highly interdisciplinary forum for researchers, educators, clinicians, as well as government agencies, non-profit, and for-profit organizations at the national, state, and local levels to explore and collaborate on the social, behavioral, and design aspects of health informatics as related to aging, culture, and community.
Building on the success of our 2019 AHIC, our 2021 AHIC calls for participation from a wide range of academic fields and disciplines, including (but are not limited to) Anthropology, Communications, Computer Science, Engineering, Gerontology, Human Development, Information Science, Medicine, Nursing, Nutritional Science, Pharmacy, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology. We will also encourage participation of non-academics working with and for older adults, including those from government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels; staff and administrators of public libraries, senior centers, senior-living facilities, and other community organizations serving the older population; and members of the industry designing technology for aging users and their caregivers.
Potential topics may include (but are not limited to):
- The diverse health information needs and behaviors of older adults, especially those who are traditionally underserved (e.g., ethnic minorities, older adults with disabilities);
- Older adults’ perceptions, learning and use of technology for health information and decision-making (e.g., for wellness, preventative care, and self-management of chronic conditions);
- Design eHealth/mHealth (e.g., patient portals, wearable devices, mobile apps, artificial intelligence tools) to meet the diverse needs and preferences of older adults;
- eHealth literacy, digital divide, health disparities, and patient education among older adults;
- Privacy, security, and related ethical issues in older adults’ interaction with technology;
- Older adults and their family caregivers’ needs and preferences for technology in chronic condition self-management and end-of-life decision making;
- Older adults’ interaction with health misinformation on various technological platforms (e.g., social media, mobile apps);
- Dementia-related health informatics research and applications; and
- Health informatics for older adults during global health crises like as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Target Audience
The Conference is highly interdisciplinary by nature, and expects to feature speakers from a wide range of fields and disciplines. This conference will provide opportunities for faculty and graduate students to engage in professional development by (1) presenting research at the conference as podium presentations, (2) showcasing preliminary research as posters, and (3) networking with other researchers with similar interests. We also encourage participation from non-academics working with and for older adults, including those from government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, staff and administrators of public libraries, senior centers, senior-living facilities, and other community organizations serving the older population, and the industry designing technology for aging users.
Abstract Submission
Podium and poster presentations are invited on any topic within the scope of the conference. Podium presentations are meant for well-developed research projects where the presenters can report study findings, while poster presentations are more suitable for reporting preliminary results of work-in-progress. Students are encouraged to submit abstracts. Interdisciplinary research teams involving authors from at least two different disciplines or fields are especially encouraged to submit abstracts.
We strongly encourage submissions by women, underrepresented minorities in the sciences including individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities.
Abstract submission deadline: September 30, 2021.
