If we are to begin building an international case for public multi-billion dollar investments in basic research towards the goal of anti-aging medicine we need to know how to answer dozens of public policy questions.

- How do we know that anti-aging would actually save society money instead of bankrupt it?
- Why focus on medicine instead of other life extenders?
- What about overpopulation?
- What about pensions and the retirement age?
- What about life insurance?
- What about the idea that life is given meaning by death?

And so on.

Join us in the IEET’s first distance learning course focused on all the facts and arguments that need to be mastered to become an effective advocate for the Longevity Dividend and anti-aging medicine.

Living Healthier and Longer:
Making the Case for the Longevity Dividend

IEET Distance Learning Course

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/lifecourse

April 21 to June 29, 2008

Instructors: James Hughes, Anne Corwin and Aubrey de Grey

Teaching Assistants: Kristi Scott, Jonathan Pfeiffer

Registration

$100

Description

Healthy life expectancy around the world continues to increase, and emerging technologies promise even more radical longevity. But many policy makers see a crushing burden on medicine and social services from the shifting “old age dependency ratio” and health care costs as society ages. In this course we will review the factors that have contributed to longevity, and promise to do so in the future. We will review the relationship of aging to disease and disability, and approaches to retirement and senior care around the world. We will explore the idea of a “longevity dividend” to be gained from extended healthy longevity, which may balance out the additional burdens of sick and disabled seniors. We will explore trends in informatics, home care, implants, gene therapy and pharmaceuticals which may offer additional longevity. The goal of this course is to prepare students to articulate the longevity dividend argument to the public, journalists and policy makers. (Warning: this class may also extend your life.)

Requirements

Students will write ten 600 to 800 word opinion pieces, one on each weekly topic, as well as one 1000 word book review.

Students will discuss the topic of each week online with one another and the faculty in an internal IEET discussion board, as well one another’s op-eds.

All texts for this course are electronic and online, with the exception of the book that you choose to write your book report on.

Schedule

April 21 - Longevity Dividend Overview

April 28 - Demography of Aging

May 5 - Biology of Aging

May 12 - Bioethics of Longevity

May 19 - Safety and Efficacy of Therapies

May 26 - Economics of Longevity: Retirement Age and Social Security

June 2 - Medicare and Health Insurance Reform

June 9 - Disability and Aging

June 16 - Immigration, Emigration and the Encouraging Baby-Making

June 23 - Intergenerational Equity