The challenges of ageing

The CIVIS course is organised jointly by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) and Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and will take place at ULB Erasmus campus. The World Health Organisation has named the 2021-2030 period as the decade of healthy ageing. Using different approaches such as lectures, interactive sessions, research-based activities, practical activities, simulations and round tables, the students will be exposed to the challenges of ageing in an ageing society. Different topics related to the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ageing in health and disease, functional decline and autonomy, or the newest trends in healthy ageing will be addressed. Social, epidemiological and ethical aspects will also be considered. Moreover, the students will introduce to their peers and the academic staff their ongoing research through formal presentations.

Main topics addressed

• Challenges of an ageing society
• Mechanisms of ageing in health & disease
• Functional decline and autonomy
• Healthy ageing

Learning outcomes

• To acquire multidisciplinary state-of-the-art knowledge on the phenomenon of ageing
• To gain awareness of the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach for a complex field that necessitates integrating concepts from the biological and medical sciences, the social sciences and the humanities
• To get familiar with up-to-date research in the evolving field of ageing
• To develop transversal skills, such as scientific and non-scientific communication skills, critical thinking and interpersonal skills
• To participate in networking activities and provide a bond between the CIVIS universities to build future collaborative activities