UTSA to host international conference on Latino aging in the Americas Sept. 14-16

The conference will focus on research, discussion regarding a growing elderly Latino population in U.S., Mexico (Pictured: UTSA Downtown Campus (Top) & International Conference on Aging in the Americas logo (Bottom))

(Sept. 13, 2016) — The UTSA College of Public Policy (COPP) will serve as host of the 2016 International Conference on Aging in the Americas (ICAA) on Sept. 14-16 at the Downtown Campus. The conference is free and open to the public.

The conference will bring top-tier researchers from around the world to UTSA to discuss current trends in Latino health and aging on both sides of the U.S. and Mexico border. The panels, community forums and discussions will examine research related to immigration, the Latino family and the socioeconomic factors that impact quality of life in Latino communities.

“Latinos in the U.S. and throughout Latin American have always been relatively young, but demographic forces such as declining childbirth levels are fueling the aging of these populations. The aging of Latinos and Latin American peoples is set to occur pretty rapidly over the next several decades,” said Rogelio Sáenz, dean of the UTSA College of Public Policy and the Mark G. Yudof Endowed Professor. “The conference is set up to help policymakers and health care practitioners understand and serve the needs of a growing elderly population in the U.S. and Latin America.”

Sáenz said older Latinos will soon make up a substantial share of the overall Latino population in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. He believes the rapid aging of the demographic calls for researchers to develop innovative approaches and comparisons to inform future policy and health care.

Rene Zenteno, vice provost for international initiatives and senior international officer at UTSA, and Peter Ward, C.B. Smith Sr. Centennial #1 Chair in U.S.-Mexico Relations and professor of sociology and public affairs at UT Austin, will serve as the keynote speakers for the conference. Ward is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles on Mexico’s social policy and housing policy in Latin America, Mexico and Texas. Zenteno is the former under secretary of population, migration and religious affairs at the Ministry of the Interior in Mexico, and was instrumental in the writing, negotiating and enacting of the 2011 Mexican Immigration Law. 

“We envision that this year’s conference will set the stage for vibrant interdisciplinary discussions about the intersection of Latino aging and health,” said Jacqueline Angel, ICAA’s principal investigator, professor public affairs and sociology and faculty affiliate in the Population Research Center and the Center for Health and Social Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. “The partnership between UTSA, UT Austin and its partner institutions, will help spread new ideas and knowledge that should help provide a strong context for these topics as they relate to the border and beyond in both Latin America and the U.S.”

The conference will close with Saenz hosting a panel discussion regarding Latino aging and health issues in San Antonio titled “Latino Aging in the Homefront: Issues and Realities in San Antonio.” Panelists will include Mercedes Bristol of the Grandparents Raising Grandparents Coalition, Adelita G. Cantu from the University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio School of Nursing and Juan H. Flores of La Fe Policy Research Center.  

The annual Conference Series on Aging in the Americas is housed at the University of Texas at Austin. It uses research to augment knowledge about dimensions of healthy aging for people of Hispanic and Latin American descent. UTSA is hosting this year’s conference in partnership with UT Austin, the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

- Jesus Chavez
Public Affairs Specialist

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The 2016 International Conference on Aging in the Americas will be live streamed on NowCastSA.com. 

To register, view a daily schedule or conference overview, visit the UTSA College of Public Policy or Conference Series on Aging in the Americas. For more information, contact rogelio.saenz@utsa.edu or michelle.skidmore@utsa.edu.

For more information about the UTSA College of Public Policy, visit copp.utsa.edu. Follow the college on social media on Facebook or Twitter.

Funding for this conference was made possible in part by a (R13) Scientific Meeting Grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). No. AG029767-01A2. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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