Page 25 - WesternU View - Summer 2014
P. 25
Symposium
speaker focuses
on U.S. mortality
L-R: Dean Daniel Robinson, PharmD, Eileen Crimmins, PhD,
and former Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Max Ray, PharmD
Life expectancy in the United States, once firmly in the middle of the pack compared to most of the other major developed nations
in the world, is relatively low and declining, a nationally recognized gerontology expert told WesternU students, staff and guests on
April 17, 2014.
Eileen Crimmins, PhD, AARP Chair in Gerontology at the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology, and
director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health, was the keynote speaker at The Ray Symposium, an
annual event jointly presented by the WesternU College of Pharmacy and the Interprofessional Education program.
Crimmins, who recently served as co-chair of a committee for the National Academy of Sciences that was charged with addressing
why life expectancy in the U.S. is falling so far behind other countries, narrated a power point presentation that opened with a
map of the United States. The map showed how life expectancy actually declined in some areas between 1987 and 2007 - mostly
in the South - and was followed by other slides showing the U.S. is at or near the bottom in most major mortality categories,
relative to other wealthy nations.
“Except for the very old, life in the U.S. is shorter and lived in poorer health than in other countries,” Crimmins said, hastening to
add that the “other” countries are the 16 other wealthiest nations in the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Japan and
Australia.
For decades, Americans have been less likely to survive to age 50 than people in other rich nations, for a variety of reasons
Crimmins cited in data from 2007-10. The U.S.:
• Had the second-highest injury mortality rate (2008).
• Had the highest death rate from transport accidents. (2009)
• Has an extraordinarily high percentage of homicides involving firearms - 69 percent - compared to the 26
percent average in other countries. (2007)
• Has an obesity rate (34 percent) that is twice the average of the 16 other comparison countries.
Infant mortality in the United States is 16th out of 17 wealthy nations, with a death rate of 6.7 infants per 1,000 live births.
“The probability of children dying before age 5 is higher than the 16 other peer countries,” Crimmins said.
So, what's going right stateside when it comes to mortality? People are better diagnosed and undergo earlier treatment for breast
cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, Crimmins said, and broad public awareness and attention to high blood pressure,
diabetes and high cholesterol have enabled health care providers to get a better handle on them.
“This is where pharmacy comes in,” she said. “This indicates our health care system is doing something right when it knows what
to do.”
The symposium was held in Lecture Hall I of WesternU's Health Education Center. About 300 people attended. Sponsors included
Blue Shield of California, Ralphs supermarkets, and the Azizyants Family. – Jeff Keating
WesternU View Summer 2014 23
speaker focuses
on U.S. mortality
L-R: Dean Daniel Robinson, PharmD, Eileen Crimmins, PhD,
and former Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Max Ray, PharmD
Life expectancy in the United States, once firmly in the middle of the pack compared to most of the other major developed nations
in the world, is relatively low and declining, a nationally recognized gerontology expert told WesternU students, staff and guests on
April 17, 2014.
Eileen Crimmins, PhD, AARP Chair in Gerontology at the University of Southern California’s Davis School of Gerontology, and
director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health, was the keynote speaker at The Ray Symposium, an
annual event jointly presented by the WesternU College of Pharmacy and the Interprofessional Education program.
Crimmins, who recently served as co-chair of a committee for the National Academy of Sciences that was charged with addressing
why life expectancy in the U.S. is falling so far behind other countries, narrated a power point presentation that opened with a
map of the United States. The map showed how life expectancy actually declined in some areas between 1987 and 2007 - mostly
in the South - and was followed by other slides showing the U.S. is at or near the bottom in most major mortality categories,
relative to other wealthy nations.
“Except for the very old, life in the U.S. is shorter and lived in poorer health than in other countries,” Crimmins said, hastening to
add that the “other” countries are the 16 other wealthiest nations in the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Japan and
Australia.
For decades, Americans have been less likely to survive to age 50 than people in other rich nations, for a variety of reasons
Crimmins cited in data from 2007-10. The U.S.:
• Had the second-highest injury mortality rate (2008).
• Had the highest death rate from transport accidents. (2009)
• Has an extraordinarily high percentage of homicides involving firearms - 69 percent - compared to the 26
percent average in other countries. (2007)
• Has an obesity rate (34 percent) that is twice the average of the 16 other comparison countries.
Infant mortality in the United States is 16th out of 17 wealthy nations, with a death rate of 6.7 infants per 1,000 live births.
“The probability of children dying before age 5 is higher than the 16 other peer countries,” Crimmins said.
So, what's going right stateside when it comes to mortality? People are better diagnosed and undergo earlier treatment for breast
cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, Crimmins said, and broad public awareness and attention to high blood pressure,
diabetes and high cholesterol have enabled health care providers to get a better handle on them.
“This is where pharmacy comes in,” she said. “This indicates our health care system is doing something right when it knows what
to do.”
The symposium was held in Lecture Hall I of WesternU's Health Education Center. About 300 people attended. Sponsors included
Blue Shield of California, Ralphs supermarkets, and the Azizyants Family. – Jeff Keating
WesternU View Summer 2014 23
