T: 778-782-5044
E: wister@sfu.ca
Office: Harbour Centre, Room 2800

Andrew Wister

Professor | Undergraduate Program Chair | Director of the Gerontology Research Centre (GRC)

Andrew Wister, PhD is the Director of the Gerontology Research Centre, and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Gerontology, in which he has been a faculty member for 33 years. His research covers healthy aging, resilience and aging, social isolation and aging; life-course trends and transitions; and applications of the above areas to the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Wister is the past Chair of the National Seniors Council of Canada. He was awarded the Distinguished Member Award, Canadian Association on Gerontology in 2014; the prestigious SFU University Professorship award (2015-2020); and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Wister was the primary architect of the MA and PhD Programs in Gerontology at SFU, and has served on the committees of over 85 graduate students. His extensive research career has produced over 160 peer-reviewed articles, in addition to numerous books, textbooks, and other publications. Dr. Wister is the SFU PI on the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) SFU Data Collection Site and the CLSA SFU Computer Assisted Telephone Interview Site. He is also the PI or Co-Inv on numerous other grants and contracts that coincide with the strategic initiatives of the GRC.

See Curriculum Vitae for full details.

Education

PhD (Sociology/Demography) University of Western Ontario
MA (Sociology) University of Western Ontario
BA, Hons. (Sociology) University of Western Ontario

Research

Theoretical and empirical research addressing resilience and aging in the areas of multimorbidity, social isolation and pandemic adversities; baby boomer health dynamics; environmental adaptation among older adults; patterns of family caregiving and social support; health promotion and population health; statistical methods; and life-course transitions.

Selected/current grants

Contract/Grant: SSHRC Insight Grant Awarded: 2023 Period: 2023 - 2027

Project Title: Social Connectedness and Resilience Among Marginalized Older Adults and Caregivers: Co-Produced Intersectoral Knowledge Implemented with Community Organizations
Funding: SSHRC Insight Grant Award Type: Research Grant Total: $394,400
Involvement: Principle Investigator; Mélanie Levasseur, Co-PI.; Laura Kadowaki, Lun Li, Ruth Ndjaboue, Valérie Poulin (Co-Inv.); Line Dubé, Danielle Ferron, Leslie Gaudette, Kathleen Jamieson, Kahir Lalji, Barbara McMillan (Collaborators).

Contract/Grant: Exploration Grant Awarded: 2022 Period: 2022 - 2024

Project Title: Multiscale Modelling for Integrated Biological and Psychosocial Risk and Mitigation of Dementia
Funding: New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Type: Exploration Grant Total: $250,000
Involvement: Co-Investigator

Contract/Grant: National Targeted CIHR Awarded: 2021 Period: 2021 - 2027

Project Title: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Follow-up 3 and Follow-up 4
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Type: Research Grant Total: $52,000,000
Involvement: SFU Principal Investigator; Lead; Co-Investigator

Contract/Grant: Infrastructure Grant Awarded: 2021 Period: 2021 - 2024

Project Title: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA): A Platform for Interdisciplinary Research
Funding: Canadian Foundation for Innovation Type: Infrastructure Grant Total: $24,550,211 National; $1,273,698 Direct to Wister Involvement: SFU Principal Investigator; Lead; Co-Investigator

Contract/Grant: Project Grant Awarded: 2021 Period: 2021 - 2024

Project Title: Study on the Dynamic Evolution of Risk of Old-Age Support and Well-being of the Elderly in Rural Anhui China
Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China Type: Project Grant Total: $100,000
Involvement: Co-Investigator

Selected Publications

Books

Wister, A. V. (2024). Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 8^th Edition. Don Mills ON: Oxford University Press.
Wister, A. & T. D. Cosco (Eds) (2020). Resilience and Aging: Emerging Science and New Frontiers. New York, NY.: Springer.
Wister, A.V. (2019). Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 7^th Edition. Don Mills ON: Oxford University Press (500 pp).

Journal Articles

Guo, J., Wister, A., Wang, J., Li, S. (2024). Early and later life-course risk and protective factors of multimorbidity resilience among older adults in rural China: A study based on Longitudinal Study of Older People in Anhui Province. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. gbad196, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad196.
Adedeji, I., Wister, A., & Pickering, J. (2023). COVID-19 experiences of social isolation and loneliness among older adults in Africa: A scoping review. Frontiers in Public Health. 11, 1158716. 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1158716.
Hopper, S., Best, J., Wister, A., & Cosco, T. (2023). Contributors to mental health resilience in middle-aged and older adults: An analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. International Psychogeriatrics. 1-10. https://doi:10.1017/S1041610223000224.
Kim, B., Wister, A., O'Dea, E., Mitchell, B.A., Li, L., & L. Kadowaki. (2023). "The roles and experiences of informal caregivers of older adults in community and health care system navigation: A scoping review," BMJ Open. http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/12/e077641.
Li, L., Wister, A., Lee, Y. & Mitchell, B. (2023). Transitions into caregiving among older persons: A study of social participation and social support based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journals of Gerontology. Series B. 2023 May 18:gbad075. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad075 [Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37202207].
Pickering, J., Wister, A., O’Dea, E., & Chaudhury, C. (2023). Social isolation and loneliness among older adults living in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04196-3.
Kadowaki, L., & Wister, A. (2022). Older adults and social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review of patterns, effects, and interventions. Canadian Journal on Aging. Nov 8:1-18. doi: 10.1017/S0714980822000459. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36345649.
Li, L., Wister, A., & Mitchell, B. (2022). Examination of the Healthy Caregiver Effect among older adults: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Gerontology. https://doi. org/10.1159/000526251.
Peters, S., Cosco, T., Mackey, D., Sarohia, G., Leong, J., & Wister, A. (2022). Do current measurement instruments of physical resilience in aging tell the whole story? A scoping review. Physiotherapy Canada. https://doi.org/10.3138/ptc-2020-0134.
Raina, P., Wolfson, C., Griffith, L., Kirkland, S., McMillan, J., Bast, N., Joshi, D., Erbas Oz, U., Sohel1, N., Maimon, G., Thompson, M., & CLSA team (Wister, A. and 17 others). (2022). A longitudinal analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of middle-aged and older adults from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Nature Aging. 1, 1137–1147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-021-00128-1.
Teo, K., Churchill, R., Riadi, I., Kervin. L., Wister, A., & Cosco, T. (2022). Help-seeking behaviors among older adults: A scoping review. Journal of Applied Gerontology. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648211067710.
Whitmore, C., Fisher, K., McAiney, C., Ploeg, J., Griffith, L., Phillips, S., Wister, A., & Markle-Reid, M. (2022). Self-Reported health and the well-being paradox among community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). BMC Geriatrics. 22 (112), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-02807-z.
Wister, A., Klasa, K., & Linkov, L. (2022). A unified model of resilience and aging: Applications to COVID-19. Frontiers in Public Health. 886: 1-14, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.865459.
Wister, A., Li, L., Cosco, T., McMillan, J., Griffith, L., & on behalf of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team. (2022). Multimorbidity resilience and COVID-19 pandemic self-reported impact and worry among older adults: A study based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). BMC Geriatrics. 22:92. https//doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-02769-2.
Wister, A., Li, L., Levasseur, M., Kadowaki, L., & Pickering, J. (2022). The effects of loneliness on depressive symptoms among older adults during COVID-19: Longitudinal analyses of the CLSA. Journal of Aging and Health. https://doi. org/10.1177/08982643221129686.
Wister, A., Li, L., & Mitchell, B. (2022). A study of social isolation, multimorbidity and multiple role demands among middle-age adults based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 94 (3). https://doi.org/10.1177/00914150211040451.
Wister, A., Li, L., Mitchell, B., Wolfson, C., McMillan, J., Griffith, L., Kirkland, S., Raina, P., & on behalf of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team. (2022). Levels of depression and anxiety among informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journal of Gerontology, Series B. gbac03., https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac035.
Wister, A., O’Dea, E., Fyffe, I., & Cosco, T. (2022). Technological interventions to reduce loneliness and social isolation among community-living older adults: A scoping review. Gerontechnology. 20(2):1-16. https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2021.20.2.30-471.11.
Wister, A. (2021). Social determinants and health behaviours among older adults experiencing multimorbidity using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement. 1-21. doi.org/10.1017/S0714980821000544.
Wister, A., Li, L., & Mitchell, B. (2021). A study of social isolation, multimorbidity and multiple role demands among middle-age adults based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. International Journal of Aging and Human Development. October 2021. doi:10.1177/00914150211040451.
Li, L., Wister, A., & Mitchell, B. (2020). Social isolation among spousal and adult-child caregivers: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journals of Gerontology, Series B, gbaa197, doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa197.
Wister, A. & Speechley, M. (2020). COVID-19: Pandemic risk, resilience and possibilities for aging research. Canadian Journal on Aging. 39(3): 344-347.
Wister, A., Cosco, T., Mitchell, B., & Fyffe, I. (2020). Health behaviors and multimorbidity resilience among older adults using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. International Psychogeriatrics. 32(1), 119-133.
Raina, P., Wolfson, C., Kirkland, S., Wister, A., et al. (2019). Cohort profile: The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), International Journal of Epidemiology, dyz173, DOI.org/10.1093/ije/dyz173.
Caragata, G., Wister, A., & Mitchell, B. (2019). “You’re a great driver/your driving scares me”: Reactions of older drivers to family comments. Transportation Review. 60:485-498. DOI.10.1016/j.trf.2018.10.022.
Wister, A., Cosco, T., Mitchell, B. Menec, V. & Fyffe, I. (2019). Development and concurrent validity of a composite social isolation index for older adults using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Canadian Journal on Aging.
Walker, B., Canham, S., Wister, A., & Fang, M.L. (2019). A GIS analysis of East Asian care gaps in residential and assisted living facilities in Vancouver, Canada. Journal of Housing for the Elderly.
Wister, A., Lear, S., Schrumann, N., MacKey, D., Mitchell, B., Cosco, T. D., & Fyffe, I. (2018). Development and validation of a multi-domain multimorbidity resilience index for an older population: Results from the baseline Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Biomedical Central (BMC) Geriatrics.
Wister, A., Kendig, H., Mitchell, B.A., Fyffe, I., & Loh, V. (2016). Multimorbidity, health and aging in Canada and Australia: A tale of two countries. Biomedical Central (BMC).
Wister, A., Coatta, K., Schuurman, N., Lear, S., Rosin, M. & MacKey, D. (2016). A lifecourse model of resilience applied to aging with multimorbidity. International Journal of Aging & Human Development.

Report Chapters

Wister, A.V., Menec, V. & Mugford, G. (2018). “Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Social Engagement” (80 pp.). Chapter in Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada.

Gerontology