Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging                                                                                                           November 24, 2009

Maxine Weinstein

Maxine Weinstein

Professor, Department of Population and Health
Georgetown University
weinstma@georgetown.edu


Like other animals, people are born and die, and in between they form and dissolve pair bonds, reproduce, migrate, and live in communities. Demography -- the study of human populations -- is starting to explore its biological roots. Most of my research has attempted to link our biological foundation to demography. Besides my work on the MIDUS II project, my recent research includes: 1) A study of the health of older Taiwanese adults. We are exploring the interrelationships among health, exposure to environmental stressors, and the social environment (position in social hierarchies and social networks). The study is based on a national, population-based sample of older adults in Taiwan that has been providing information since 1989. A health examination (including blood and urine specimens) was done in 2000; a second examination will be conducted in 2006. 2) A study of the transition to menopause. A subset of Tremin Trust respondents provided daily first-morning urine specimens for 6-month windows in each of five years. These specimens have been assayed for the urinary conjugates of estradial, progesterone, LH, and FSH. We are documenting age-related changes in these hormones and attempting to understand their relationship to the onset of menopause.



Representative Publications
Tractenberg, R., Weinstein, M., Weiner, M., Aisen, P., Fuh, J.L., Goldman, N., Chuang Y.L. (2005). Benchmarking a Test of Temporal Orientation with Data from American and Taiwanese Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and American Normal Elderly. Neuroepidemiology 24(1-2):110-16.

Hu, P., Adler, N.E., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Seeman, T. (2005). Relationship of Subjective Assessment of Socioeconomic Status with Measures of Health in Older Taiwanese Persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 53(3):483-8.

Glei, D., Landau, D., Goldman, N., Chuang, Y.L., Ridriguez, G., Weinstein, M. (2005). Participating in Social Activities Helps Preserve Cognitive Function: An Analysis of a Longitudinal, Population-Based Study of the Elderly. Forthcoming, International Journal of Epidemiology.

Ferrell, R., O'Connor, K., Gorrindo, T., Weinstein, M. (2005). Monitoring the Transition to Menopause in a Five-Year Prospective:Study: Steroid Hormone and Menstrual Cycle Findings. Forthcoming, Menopause.

Seplaki, C., Goldman, N., Glei, D., Weinstein, M. (2005). A Comparative Analysis of Measurement Approaches for Physiological Dysregulation in an Older Population. Experimental Gerontology 40(5):438-449.

Goldman, N., Glei, D., Liu, I.W., Weinstein, M. (2005). Perceived Stress and Physiological Dysregulation in Elderly Humans. Stress 8(2):95-105.

Weinstein, M., Glei, D., Yamazaki, A., Chang, M.C. (2004). The Role of Intergenerational Relations in the Association between Life Stressors and Psychological Distress among the Taiwanese Elderly. Research on Aging 26(5):511-30.

Seeman, T., Glei, D., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Singer, B., Lin, Y.S. (2004). Social Relationships and Allostatic Load in Taiwanese Elderly and Near-Elderly. Social Science and Medicine 59:2245-57.

Seplaki, C., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Lin, Y.H. (2004). How are Biomarkers Related to Trajectories of Physical and Mental Well-being? Journals of Gerontology: Biological Sciences 59(3):B201-17.

Glei, D., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Liu, I.W. (2004). Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) and Health: Does the Relationship Differ by Sex? Experimental Gerontology 39:321-31.

Seplaki, C., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Lin, Y.H. (2004). Before and After the 1999 Chi Chi Earthquake: Change in Depressive Symptoms in Older Taiwanese. Forthcoming, Social Science and Medicine.

Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Cornman, J., Singer, B., Seeman, T., Chang, M.C. (2004). Sex Differentials in Biological Risk Factors for Chronic Disease: Estimates from Population-Based Surveys. Journal of Women’s Health 13(4):393-403.

Cornman, J.C., Lynch, S., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Lin, H.S. (2004). Stability and Change in the Perceived Support of Older Taiwanese Adults. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences 59B(6):S350-357.

Weinstein, M., Cornman, J., Chang, M.C., Hassman, R., Stark, M. (2004). Did Taiwanese Sisters Subsidize the Education of their Brothers. Journal of Population Studies 29:1-34.

Goldman, N., Lin, I.F., Weinstein, M., Lin, Y.H. (2003). “Evaluating the Quality of Self-Reports of Hypertension and Diabetes". Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 56(2):148-5.

Lin, I.F., Goldman, N., Weinstein, M., Lin, Y.H., Gorrindo, T., Seeman, T. (2003). “Gender Differences in Adult Children’s Provision of Support to their Elderly Parents in Taiwan. Journal of Marriage and the Family 65:184-200.

Cornman, J., Goldman, N., Glei, D., Weinstein, M., Chang, M.C. (2003). “Social Ties and Perceived Support: Two Dimensions of Social Relationships and Health among the Elderly in Taiwan,”. Journal of Aging and Health 15(4):616-644.

Weinstein, M., Gorrindo, T., Riley, A., Mormino, J., Niedfeldt, J., Singer, B., Rodriguez, G., Simon, J., Pincus, S. (2003). The Timing of Menopause and Patterns of Menstrual Bleeding. American Journal of Epidemiology 158(8):782-791.

Weinstein, M., Goldman, N., Hedley, A., Lin, Y.H., Seeman, T. (2003). Social Linkages to Biological Markers of Health Among the Elderly. Journal of Biosocial Science 35(3):433-53.