Andrew Wister

Director | Professor of Gerontology

Room: HC 2800
Phone: 778.782.5044

Education

PhD (Western); MA (Western); BA (Honours) (Western)

Research Interests

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.

Biography

Andrew Wister, Ph.D., is the Director of the Gerontology Research Centre, and a Professor in the Department of Gerontology, in which he has been a faculty member for over 30 years. He is an internationally recognized expert on aging research, issues, policies, and training. 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 80 successful graduate students. His extensive research career has produced numerous highly-cited peer-reviewed articles, books, text-books, monographs, reports, chapters and conference presentations. Four noteworthy books include: Baby Boomer Health Dynamics: How Are We Aging? (2005) published by University of Toronto Press; Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 7th Edition (2019) published by Oxford University Press; Fact Book on Aging in BC and Canada (2019), published by the GRC; and Resilience and Aging: Emerging Science and New Frontiers. (2020) (with T. Cosco, Eds.) published by Springer.

Dr. Wister has extensive experience in the collection and analyses of health and social data addressing baby boomer health and health care dynamics; multimorbidity resilience and aging, social isolation and aging; environmental adaptation among older adults; patterns of family and social support; statistical methods; and life-course trends and transitions; and applications of the above areas to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Wister is the SFU lead PI on the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA) SFU Data Collection Site at Surrey Campus and the CLSA SFU Computer Assisted Telephone Interview site at the Vancouver Campus. 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.

Selected Grants

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

Monographs

Kadowaki, L., & Wister, A. V. (forth.). A Critical Analysis of Integrated Community Care Systems in Canada, Denmark, and Australia. UBC Press (400 pp).
Wister, A. V. (2024). Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 8^th Edition. Don Mills ON: Oxford University Press.
Wister, A. V., Kim. B., & Qiu, S. (2023). Fact Book on Aging in British Columbia and Canada, 8th Edition. Vancouver, B.C.: Gerontology Research Centre (101 pp).
Wister, A. & T. D. Cosco (Eds). Resilience and Aging: Emerging Science and New Frontiers. (2020) New York, NY.: Springer.
Wister, A. (2019). Aging as a Social Process: Canada and Beyond, 7th Edition. Don Mills ON: Oxford University Press (500 pp).

Articles

O’Dea, E., Wister, A., Canham, S., Mitchell, B., & Li, L. (in press). Volunteering among culturally diverse older adults before and during the-COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal analyses of the CLSA. Canadian Journal on Aging.
Gregory, M. A., Schaeffer, M. J., Reeves, J. T. H., Griffith, L. E., Wolfson, C., Basta, N. E., McMillan, J. M., Kirkland, S., Raina, P., Paterson, T. S. E., & Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) (Wister, A. + 16 others) (2024). The Effects of Cognitive Ability, Mental Health, and Self-Quarantining on Functional Ability of Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology, 8919887231218755. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08919887231218755.
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.
Mendo, C., Gaudreau, P., Lefebvre, G., Marrie, R,. Potter, B., Wister, A., Wolfson, C., Keezer, M., Sylvestre, MP. (2024). Grip strength and carotid intima media thickness: A mendelian randomization analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Annals of Epidemiology. 89:15-20. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1047279723002260.
Griffith, L. Beauchamp, M., McMillan, J., Borhan, S., Erbas Oz, U., Wolfson, C., Kirkland, S. Basta, N., Thompson, M., Raina, P. & on behalf of the CLSA Team (Wister, A. & 16 others) (2023). Persistent COVID-19 symptoms in community-living older adults from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Communications Medicine, 3:36,| https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00266-0.|
Hopper, S., Wister, A., Cosco, T., & Best, J. R. (2024). Social isolation, physical activity, and subsequent changes in cognition among middle- and older-aged adults: Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Psychosomatic Medicine, 86, 107-115. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001271.
Hopper, S., Best, J., Wister, A., & Cosco, T. (2024). 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.
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.
Atoyebi O., Beaudoin M., Routhier F., Auger, C., Demers, L., Wister, A., Plante, M., & Mortenson, B. (2023). Potential assistive technology preferences of informal caregivers of people with disability. Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering. 2023;10. doi:10.1177/20556683231172671.
Atoyebi, O., Wister, A., Mattie, J., Borisoff, J., Gutman, G., Chaudhury, H., … Hosseini, S. H. (2023). Scoping review: Power Assist Add-ons for Manual Wheelchairs Users: A Protocol for An Active Aging Lens Scoping Review. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/96H3P.
Conn, D., Billard, T., Dupuis-Blanchard, S., Freedman, A., Hoang, P., Levasseur, M., Newall, N., Sullivan, M., Wister, A. (in press). Canadian clinical guidelines on social isolation and loneliness in older adults. Canadian Geriatrics Journal.
Cosco, T., Wister, A., Riada, I., Kervin, L., Hopper, S., Best, J., Basta, N., Wolfson, C., Kirkland, S., Griffith, L., Raina, P., & the CLSA Team (15 others). (2023). Worsened ability to engage in social and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and older adults’ mental health: Longitudinal analysis from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Innovations in Aging. Vol 7 (7), igad086, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igad086.
De Rubeis, V., Gonzalez, A., De Groh, M., Jiang, Y., Erbas Oz, U., Tarride, J., . . . Anderson, L. & Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team (Wister plus 15 others) (2023). Obesity and adverse childhood experiences in relation to stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. International Journal of Obesity, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-023-01258-9.
Ferris, J., Kim, B., Clemens, F., Irvine, M., Hosseini, S., Smolina K., & Wister, A. (2023). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Disease Clustering in Multimorbidity: Study Protocol. Systematic Reviews. Dec 9;13(12):e076496. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076496. PMID: 38070917.
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.
Khattar, J., Anderson, L., De Rubeis, V., de Groh, M., Jiang, Y., Jones, A., Basta, N., Kirkland, S., Wolfson, C., Griffith, L., Raina P., & Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team (Wister, A. & 15 others) (2023). Unmet health care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults: a prospective cohort study in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. CMAJ Open. 11(1):E140-E151. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20210320.
Kirkland, S., Griffith, L., Oz, E., Thompson, M., Wister, A., Kadowaki, L., Basta, N., McMillan, J., Wolfson, C., Raina, P., & on behalf of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team. (2023). Increased prevalence of loneliness and associated risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). BMC Geriatrics. 23:872. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15807-4.
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.
Wister, A., Li, L., Levasseur, M., Kadowaki, L., & Pickering, J. (2023). The Effects of Loneliness on Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults During COVID-19: Longitudinal Analyses of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journal of Aging and Health, 35(5–6), 439–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643221129686.
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.

Gerontology Research Centre