Abstract:
The Australian Women's Healthy Aging Project (WHAP) cohort was established to examine women’s health from midlife (45-55 years) before the menopausal transition and into aging. In 1990/91, 2001 women living in the Melbourne metropolitan area were randomly selected, and 779 met the entry criteria for the longitudinal follow-up (aged 45–55 years, menstruating, having a uterus and at least one ovary and not taking hormone therapy). Of these, 438 agreed to be seen annually across the menopausal transition from 1992 to 1999. Longitudinal prospective follow-up since 2000 has continued intermittently (2002/03, 2004/05, 2012/13, 2014/15). Data collection has included fasting biomarkers, clinical assessment, lifestyle and quality of life data, physical measures and validated questionnaire data. Participants have consented to data linkage and, to date, mammogram and BioGrid data have been accessed. Biobank storage including serum, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) storage and PAXgene tubes are maintained. The WHAP has contributed to over 200 publications in a variety of areas, including: health and wellbeing; mental and cognitive health; bone health; lifestyle, vascular risk and prevention; women’s health and hormonal transition; and cross-cultural research. With all participants now aged over 70 years, the cohort is ideally placed to answer key questions of healthy aging in women. Ongoing follow-up into older ages for this long-running cohort will enable the association between mid to late-life factors and healthy aging to be determined. This is particularly valuable for the examination of chronic diseases which have a 20–30 year prodrome and to provide knowledge on multiple morbidities.

Brief Bio:
Associate Professor Cassandra is currently the Director of the Healthy Aging Program, Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne and Professor at Institute for Health and Aging, Australian Catholic University. She led the research program in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Mental Disorders and Brain Health at the Australian Commonwealth Science and Industry Organization (CSIRO) and helped establish and served on the steering committees of several major Australian collaborative studies (ASPREE, START and AIBL), sat on the executive scientific board of the Australian Imaging Biomarker and Lifestyle study of aging (AIBL) from 2008 to 2014, and was Inaugural Chair of the Vascular Stream. She served on the board of executive directors for the Western Health Service Network, employed by the Victorian Minister for Health. In this role, she was Chair of both the Quality and Safety and the Education and Research Board sub-committees. Dr. Szoeke is a practicing physician in internal medicine with sub-specialization in neurology. In addition to her medical qualifications she has an honors degree in Genetics and Pharmacology, and completed her PhD thesis in Epidemiology with postdoctoral training conducted between Stanford University and Duke University focused on Public Health and Policy. She has been the recipient of numerous national and international awards for her research work.