Trinity’s Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) has been named the designated World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for longitudinal studies on ageing and the life course.
The centre is the first of its kind in Trinity and one of four WHO Collaborating Centres in Ireland.
The designation, which was announced last week, marks a significant milestone in TILDA’s collaboration with WHO and highlights its role in advancing the global understanding of healthy ageing.
WHO Collaborating Centres are research institutions which have been designated by WHO’s director-general to “carry out activities in support of the Organization’s programmes”. Following the designation, TILDA joins a network of over 800 WHO Collaborating Centres worldwide.
WHO’s Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing Dr Anshu Banerjee said the partnership will “enhance our insights into healthy ageing and support the implementation of the WHO Global Ageing Population Survey across high, low, and middle-income countries”.
The focus of TILDA’s work aligns with WHO’s agenda to increase data on ageing populations, particularly in countries where such information is scarce. By 2030, WHO aims to collect data on older populations in over 60% of its member countries, a goal that TILDA’s expertise in longitudinal studies should bolster.
TILDA Principal Investigator and Director of the new WHO Collaborating Centre Professor Rose Anne Kenny said the designation “is a testament to the hard work and dedication of [the] team at TILDA”.
“This Centre allows us to further our research and collaboration with WHO, Trinity College, and international partners to develop solutions that improve health and well-being across the lifespan. Our work will provide crucial data to inform policies and practices globally,” she added.
Provost Linda Doyle said that bringing together “expert researchers in Trinity and leaders in global health in WHO” will enable the centre to “shape global understanding of and approaches to health and ageing”.
“I am incredibly proud that Trinity will be part of this network,” she added.
