Co-Investigator, Health and Retirement Study
Contact Information
Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
3715 McClintock Avenue, Room 218B
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191
Phone: 213.740.7245
Email: [email protected]
Education
Ph.D., Sociology (Demography), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2009
B.A., Sociology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 2003
Research and Projects
Dr. Ailshire’s research has demonstrated the importance of physical and social environments, and their interactions, in determining health and wellbeing across the adult life course, and particularly for older adults. Her current projects focus on the role of air pollution in cognitive decline and dementia and epigenetic aging.
Selected Recent Publications
Cha H, Farina MP, Jackson HM, Ailshire JA, Walsemann KM. How Childhood State Education Quality Shapes the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Mid-to-Later Life. Alzheimers Dement Behav Socioecon Aging. 2026;2(1). doi:10.1002/bsa3.70061
Cha H, Ailshire J. Male Spousal Caregivers Are Increasing, but Only in Less Demanding Care Roles. Journal of Marriage and Family. 2026;88:584-595. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.70030
Farina MP, Jackson H, Ailshire JA, Walsemann KM. State Educational Contexts in Childhood and Systemic Inflammation in Later Life: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health. 2026;54:101219. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101219
Choi EY, Mage S, Ailshire JA. Neighborhood social environment and physical activity among persons living with dementia. The Gerontologist. 2026;66(5):gnag047. doi:10.1093/geront/gnag047
Zhao E, Ailshire JA, Kim JK, Crimmins EM. Finding the turning point in aging: a comparison of physical, cognitive, and psychological trajectories among centenarians and non-centenarians. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2026;81(6):glag116. doi:10.1093/gerona/glag116