Center for Healthy Aging

What Center for Healthy Aging does

The Center for Healthy Aging (CHA) is an academic research center operating within Penn State's College of Health and Human Development, based in University Park, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to advance research, education, and community partnerships promoting healthy aging across the lifespan, with current research themes spanning cognitive performance, sleep patterns, dementia prevention, and human development. Core offerings consist of interdisciplinary research projects, the T32 Pathways Training program for graduate and postdoctoral researchers, and Community Engagement Programs that translate findings into practice with regional partners.

The center's activities are conducted through an institutional model rather than a commercial one: it does not sell products or services, has no publicly disclosed pricing, and is funded via Penn State University allocations and external research grants (notably NIH). Its core technology is scientific research methodology in biobehavioral health, drawing on faculty from departments including Biobehavioral Health, Human Development and Family Studies, Kinesiology, and Nutritional Sciences. Distribution occurs through academic publications, the T32 training pathway, community engagement initiatives, and Penn State News, with a social media presence on LinkedIn (@pennstatecha), Facebook, and Instagram.

The center is led by Director Marty Sliwinski and co-leads the National Brain Health and Dementia Prevention Initiative, a multi-institution research network aimed at detecting earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Headcount is reported at approximately six employees, consistent with a lean academic unit operating within a larger university structure. All disclosed source information traces to a single source ID, and revenue, funding totals, and founding date are not provided in the input.

Name

Center for Healthy Aging

Legal name

Center for Healthy Aging (part of The Pennsylvania State University)

Website

https://healthyaging.psu.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Healthy Aging is a Penn State University academic research center that conducts interdisciplinary research on cognitive performance, sleep, and dementia prevention, trains researchers via the T32 Pathways program, and engages community partners to promote healthy aging across the lifespan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Aging Research

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

akta.pro primary industry

Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes (EDAAAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Senior Center Lifelong Learning Programs (EDAAAMAB), Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Healthy aging research
• Cognitive performance studies
• Dementia prevention research
• Aging research training
• Gerontology research programs

Headquarters

HQ city

University Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: Funded through Penn State University and external research grants from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The College of Health and Human Development was ranked first in NIH-funding category.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Center for Healthy Aging is an academic research center within Penn State's College of Health and Human Development that conducts scientific research on healthy aging across the lifespan, focusing on cognitive performance, sleep patterns, and dementia/Alzheimer's prevention. It also operates the T32 Pathways Training program to develop future healthy-aging researchers and runs community engagement programs that translate research findings into community practice.

Product overview

The Center for Healthy Aging (CHA) is a university research center under Penn State College of Health and Human Development, not a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of research programs, training initiatives, and community engagement activities. The core offerings include research projects on cognitive performance and brain health, T32 Pathways Training for researchers, and Community Engagement Programs that translate research into practice. These offerings work together to advance the mission of promoting healthy aging across the lifespan through scientific discovery, education, and community partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T32 Pathways Training: T32 Pathways Training program for healthy aging research

Products and services

• Research Projects on Healthy Aging Comprehensive research initiatives conducted by the Center for Healthy Aging focused on healthy aging across the lifespan, including studies on cognitive performance, sleep patterns (such as the finding that night waking impacts next-day cognitive performance), and brain health and dementia prevention. Targeted at the scientific research community, older-adult research participants, and federal research funders including NIH.
• T32 Pathways Training Program Postdoctoral and graduate training program designed to develop future researchers in the field of healthy aging, providing structured mentorship, curriculum, and research opportunities. Targeted at graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career researchers pursuing healthy-aging science careers.
• Community Engagement Programs Partnerships and outreach initiatives that connect CHA's research findings with regional communities to promote healthy-aging practices and recruit research participants. Targeted at local and regional community organizations in Pennsylvania and at older adults in the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Night waking impacts cognitive performance regardless of sleep duration - older adults who were awake more during the night performed worse on cognitive tests the next day

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Penn State College of Health and Human DevelopmentcoreOthersThe Center for Healthy Aging is an organizational unit within the Penn State College of Health and Human Development, receiving institutional support, administrative infrastructure, and access to college resources and other departments including Biobehavioral Health, Human Development and Family Studies, Kinesiology, and Nutritional Sciences.
• National Brain Health and Dementia Prevention InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPenn State, including researchers from the Center for Healthy Aging, co-leads this national research network. The initiative aims to detect earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias years before symptoms emerge, to reduce personal and financial impacts of the disease.
• T32 Pathways Training ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA structured training program for researchers focused on healthy aging, providing mentorship, curriculum, and research opportunities in partnership with the center's faculty.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AARP: Large established organization focused on aging populations with adjacent mission of healthy aging advocacy and programs, but operates at scale as an advocacy body rather than research center.
• USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology: Established academic institution with broader gerontology scope (degree programs, policy, research); overlaps with CHA in research and training but operates as a full school rather than a single center.

Direct peers

• Stanford Center on Longevity: University-based research center focused on longevity and healthy aging across the lifespan; highly comparable mission, NIH-funded research approach, and academic affiliation to CHA.
• Mayo Clinic Kogod Center on Aging: Academic medical center focused on aging research with similar interdisciplinary approach to understanding aging and age-related diseases including dementia.
• Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development: Interdisciplinary academic aging research and training center with similar NIH-funded longitudinal research, training pathways, and community engagement focus.
• University of Florida Center on Aging: University-based research center studying healthy aging with comparable interdisciplinary approach, training programs, and community engagement initiatives.
• University of Michigan Center for Aging and Population: Public university research center studying aging and population health with overlapping focus on cognitive performance, sleep, and dementia research.
• Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center: Academic medical research center focused on Alzheimer's and dementia with comparable NIH-funded longitudinal aging studies and community-based cohort research.
• Yale Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center: Federally funded academic aging research center at a major research university, comparable in NIH funding mechanism, aging research focus, and researcher training programs.

Others

• National Institute on Aging: Federal agency that funds much of CHA's underlying research and sets national aging research priorities; an ecosystem participant and funding source rather than a direct peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pennstatehhd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennstatecha
• Instagraminstagram.com/pennstatehhd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Healthy Aging