Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies

Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies
Name	Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies
Established	1999
Type	Research institute
Location	Metro Manila, Philippines
Director	Dr. Maria Santos
Campus	Urban

Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies is a research and training organization focused on gerontology and elder care policy in the Asia-Pacific region. It conducts applied studies, professional training, and policy analysis involving demographic change, public health, and social welfare. The institute engages with regional bodies and academic partners to inform practice in long-term care, community development, and health systems reform.

History

The institute was founded in 1999 amid demographic shifts documented by United Nations Population Fund and World Health Organization, responding to research trends illustrated in reports by Asian Development Bank and scholars associated with University of Tokyo and National University of Singapore. Early collaborations involved researchers from University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University and drew on comparative work from Harvard University, University of Oxford, Peking University, and Seoul National University. Initial funding and technical support referenced projects by United Nations Development Programme, WHO Kobe Centre, and HelpAge International while methodological influence came from demographers linked to International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and Population Reference Bureau. Over subsequent decades, institutional milestones included memorandum exchanges with Ministry of Health and Welfare (South Korea), advisory input for policy papers considered by ASEAN, and participation in conferences hosted by Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development and International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.

Mission and Objectives

The institute’s mission aligns with priorities articulated by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and strategic frameworks used by World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Objectives include producing evidence used in policy dialogues convened by ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development, developing curricula for practitioners influenced by standards from International Council of Nurses, and promoting age-friendly initiatives inspired by World Health Organization's Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. The institute aims to support governments such as the Philippine Department of Health, provincial administrations like Quezon City Government, and municipal programs modeled on initiatives in Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Academic Programs and Research

Academic offerings combine training modules patterned after programs at University of Melbourne, McGill University, University of British Columbia, and King's College London with certificates used by practitioners from Philippine General Hospital, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and Makati Medical Center. Research themes include epidemiological studies comparable to work at Johns Hopkins University, health systems research resonant with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and social policy analysis reflecting scholarship from Stanford University. Projects have examined long-term care financing studies akin to analyses by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and evaluated community-based models related to initiatives by HelpAge India and Japan Gerontological Society. The institute publishes working papers and collaborates on peer-reviewed articles with authors affiliated with Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Peking University Health Science Center.

Facilities and Campus

Located in Metro Manila, the campus provides training rooms modeled on facilities at National University of Singapore and laboratory spaces suitable for surveys used by teams from Philippine Statistics Authority and University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health. On-site resources include a library with collections akin to holdings at British Library, access to datasets shared with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe projects, and simulation suites inspired by clinical skills centers at Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic. The campus hosts convenings attended by delegations from ASEAN Secretariat, Asia Development Bank, and non-governmental delegations such as Oxfam Philippines.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The institute maintains memoranda with universities including University of Tokyo, National Taiwan University, Yonsei University, and Chulalongkorn University and research partnerships with organizations such as World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, HelpAge International, and International Labour Organization. Collaborative networks include ties to foundations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and regional bodies such as ASEAN. It has participated in multicenter studies coordinated with teams from Imperial College London, University of Sydney, and Tsinghua University, and provided technical assistance to ministries modeled after Ministry of Health (Singapore) and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan).

Funding and Governance

Funding sources have included competitive grants from Asian Development Bank, project contracts with United Nations Development Programme, philanthropic awards from Ford Foundation and Asia Foundation, and fee-based training for agencies such as Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and city governments. Governance structures mirror practices used by University of the Philippines System and other non-profit research centers, with an advisory board that has included representatives from World Health Organization regional offices, academics from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and policymakers with experience at Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines). Financial oversight follows standards similar to those recommended by International Monetary Fund and auditing conventions used by Commission on Audit (Philippines).

Category:Research institutes in the Philippines Category:Gerontology organizations