The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate. In Canada, the number of individuals aged 65 and older increased to 6.6 million in 2019 and is projected to reach 11 million by 2039. This demographic shift imposes significant pressure on health and social care systems, highlighting the need for evidence-based approaches to promote healthy aging. Aging is a multifaceted process that impacts physical, cognitive, psychological, and social well-being. Adverse outcomes in these areas are associated with increased care needs, poor quality of life, disability, and premature mortality. Despite this, significant gaps remain in our knowledge of how biological, physiological, psychological, and social systems interact to influence aging trajectories. A multi-system approach that examines aging from “cell to society” provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex interactions. Central to this inquiry is resilience, the capacity to adapt, recover, and maintain homeostasis in response to stressors. Resilience is influenced by life course experiences, education, environmental resources, and social inequalities. By examining how resilience in face of biological and psychosocial changes influences health outcomes, this research aims to understand the mechanisms driving healthy aging. The research objectives are to: 1) Identify the key determinants of changes in biological, physical, psychological, and social function over time, 2) Examine the role of genetic, epigenetic, metabolomic, proteomic, metagenomic, and other biomarkers in influencing resilience and aging outcomes, 3) Examine the impact of social determinants on health disparities, 4) Assess how sociodemographic, physical, psychological, behavioural, biological, and environmental factors intersect to influence aging trajectories. Building on our existing work, this research aims to inform public health strategies and interventions to improve health outcomes for aging populations globally.
