A new collaboration for building healthier communities

Monday, June 8, 2015, Peterborough
Building on a common commitment to interdisciplinary aging research, Trent University and York University will form a collaborative research and education partnership on aging research and innovation.

A memorandum of understand (MOU) has been signed to affirm this joint effort to create pathways of learning for undergraduate and graduate students at both universities, which have recently developed new research centres in this area of study.

The Trent Centre for Aging and Society was launched in 2013 and is rooted in the social sciences and humanities. York University’s Centre for Aging Research and Education (YU-CARE), launched in 2014, is rooted in health studies and sciences. The new partnership will bring together both perspectives for a more holistic understanding of aging, and its impact in Canada and internationally.

Their locations are ideal for this research. Peterborough is one of Canada’s most rapidly aging regions and second largest retirement destination, and Toronto is Canada’s largest and most culturally diverse metropolis. This will benefit the scope of the research.

"We are very excited to make official our innovative and already productive collaboration with York University's Faculty of Health. The partnership between Trent Centre for Aging & Society and YU-CARE is founded on a shared passion for bringing critical perspectives to the study of aging and older age - one that is rooted in a commitment to building healthier communities in our respective Ontario regions.

"The partnership allows us to further these aims in exciting ways that link and benefit students and faculty at both universities working together on new research questions, with new approaches that draw together Trent’s interdisciplinary strengths with York's leadership in health studies," said Dr. Mark Skinner, geography professor and the founding director of the centre at Trent.

This unique partnership draws on the strengths of both university models: Trent, a research-intensive small university focused on undergraduate teaching and York, a large research institution with a Faculty of Health and multiple graduate programs.

“As researchers and educators, we are all very comfortable working in interdisciplinary environments, and this is critical to the study of aging. At the end of the day, this is about developing better understandings of how to help all of us age more healthy, and new understanding of how to develop increasingly effective care models related to older people,” said Dr. William Gage, founding director of YU-CARE.

Dr. Gage, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York, notes that the added advantage is, “that Trent is located rurally, while York is situated in an urban environment, which creates incredible opportunities for us to explore models of aging that are relevant across our province and Canada on the whole. This is very exciting for all of us.”

The exciting partnership is more than academic in nature. Founding director of the Trent Centre for Aging and Society, Professor Skinner is happy to be partnering with York’s Faculty of Health, where his father Professor Harvey Skinner is the founding dean. Both Skinners were signatories at the ceremonial MOU signing on Friday, June 5, 2015 at Trent University.

About Trent University

One of Canada's top universities, Trent University was founded on the ideal of interactive learning that's personal, purposeful and transformative. Consistently recognized nationally for leadership in teaching, research and student satisfaction, Trent attracts excellent students from across the country and around the world. Here, undergraduate and graduate students connect and collaborate with faculty, staff and their peers through diverse communities that span residential colleges, classrooms, disciplines, hands-on research, co-curricular and community-based activities. Across all disciplines, Trent brings critical, integrative thinking to life every day. As the University celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014/15, Trent's unique approach to personal development through supportive, collaborative community engagement is in more demand than ever. Students lead the way by co-creating experiences rooted in dialogue, diverse perspectives and collaboration. In a learning environment that builds life-long passion for inclusion, leadership and social change, Trent's students, alumni, faculty and staff are engaged global citizens who are catalysts in developing sustainable solutions to complex issues. Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River, just 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, while Trent University Durham delivers a distinct mix of programming in the GTA.

About York University
York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre. York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 25 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 280 leading universities worldwide. York U’s community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 275,000 alumni.

- 30 -

For more information contact:
Kate Weersink, media relations & strategic communications officer, Trent University, (705) 748-1011 x 6180 or kateweersink@trentu.ca or;

Gloria Suhasini, York University Media Relations, (416) 736-2100 x 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca
Accessible versions of this document are available upon request at trentu.ca/accessible