This course will discuss the Physical Activity and Aging Study (PAAS), a longitudinal open cohort study that seeks to shed light on the many relationships that exist between physical activity, health, disease, and mortality in older adults. Within the course, we will dive into the study rationale and the importance of physical activity throughout the lifespan. We will additionally cover the health assessments performed and discuss some of the recent findings from PAAS.

Elizabeth Lefferts began as an athletic trainer, then pursued chronic disease prevention through lifestyle behaviors. Inspired by her family's health experiences, she joined ISU’s PAAS study in 2015, returned in 2020 as Data Manager, and became Principal Investigator in 2024, focusing on the impact of aging and exercise on disease trajectories.