|
|
|
Dr. Richard Havlik was appointed Associate Director of NIA’s Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry Program in 1990. He directs epidemiologic studies that look at aging processes and identify differences between “usual aging” and the onset of disease. In cooperation with other NIH institutes, he is responsible for developing projects to obtain data related to cancer, dementia, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, vision and hearing disorders, and other major diseases of older persons. In addition, he collaborates with international programs, including those of the World Health Organization, in comparing research results with groups studying aging around the world. His previous research focused on the health status of older persons and includes studies of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including studies of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Current interests emphasize epidemiologic studies of Alzheimer’s disease and of physical disability and include community-based studies of genetic and environmental determinants of aging and age-related disorders. A native of Illinois, Havlik received his undergraduate degree from DePauw University, his master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University, and his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School. He first came to NIH in 1968 as a research associate in the Epidemiology Branch, NHLBI. In 1980 he was appointed chief of NHLBI’s clinical and genetic epidemiology section in the Epidemiology and Biometry Program. Prior to his appointment as NIA Associate Director, Havlik served as special assistant for biomedical applications at the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control. Havlik is a member of the American Epidemiological Society, and the Gerontological Society of America.