This encyclopedia brings together a comprehensive collection of work highlighting established research and emerging science in all relevant disciplines in gerontology and population aging. It covers the breadth of the field, gives readers access to all major sub-fields, and illustrates their interconnectedness with other disciplines. With more than 1300 cross-disciplinary contributors--including anthropologists, biologists, economists, psychiatrists, public policy experts, sociologists, and others--the encyclopedia delves deep into key areas of gerontology and population aging such as ageism, biodemography, disablement, longevity, long-term care, and much more. Paying careful attention to empirical research and literature from around the globe, the encyclopedia is of interest to a wide audience that includes researchers, teachers and students, policy makers, (non)governmental agencies, public health practitioners, business planners, and many other individuals and organizations.

Danan Gu works at the United Nations Population Division. He has an extensive publication record, with research in the areas of health and longevity, population aging, family demography and its applications, urbanization, estimates and projections. He serves as a senior editorial board member of BMC Geriatrics and he is an editor for a Springer Book Series on Advances in Studies of Aging and Health. He also serves as an editorial board member of Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and Journal of Aging and Health.

Dr. Matthew E. Dupre is an Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences and the Department of Sociology at Duke University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development and faculty at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Dr. Dupre is a nationally recognized medical sociologist who studies how social factors impact the development and progression of chronic disease in older adults. His work has appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology, American Journal of Public Health, Demography, JAMA, Journals of Gerontology, Social Forces, and other leading journals in aging, medicine, and the social sciences.