The purpose of the External Research Resources Support and Dissemination Core is to communicate information about resources, methods, and findings related to research on aging to scholars within RAND and to the larger scientific and policy communities. In service of that goal, this Core will make available through the web site of the Health and Retirement Study enhanced fiat files of HRS data and the user-friendly """"""""RAND HRS data."""""""" These files, developed within Core A of RAND's Center on the Study of Aging, greatly simplify the use of the HRS data by social scientists. Core D will facilitate the dissemination and use of the RAND Family Life Surveys within the academic community. The surveys were conducted in Malaysia (1976 and 1988), Indonesia (1993, 1997, 1998, and 2000), Guatemala (1995), and Bangladesh (1996). They are a uniquely rich resource for understanding the dynamics of aging in low-income settings and are among the best surveys for research on how the demographics of aging changes with development. The funding grants for these surveys have lapsed. Given their value for research on aging, we propose to sponsor their continued availability on the RAND web site and their continued user support via e-mail. Core D will allow RAND to plan and host its annual Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists during 2006, 2007, and 2008 (other NIA funding supports it through 2005). The Mini-Med serves as a forum to allow social scientists to digest and interpret medical knowledge related to aging. Through lectures by and interactions with biomedical experts, social scientists become better acquainted with the medical aspects of aging, which will help them plan analyses and interpret their results in cognizance of the full range of factors that may be relevant. The Core provides travel and per-diem expenses for six speakers and 25 participants, plus some expenses for another 35 participants with other support. Finally, Core D will provide resources for researchers to synthesize the findings of their research on aging and disseminate those findings through policy briefs and policy-oriented papers more accessible than journal papers to federal and other decisionmakers. Policy briefs and documented briefings will be posted electronically and widely disseminated to academics, policy makers, and journalists.
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