| Sumario: | Purpose Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, & Technology, or CHART, is an interdisciplinary research program comprised of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty, students, community members, and healthcare providers devoted to supporting research efforts that promote aging successfully through the use of technology. It was founded in 2017 and is Directed by Wendy Rogers and Coordinated by Alyssa Stanfield https://chart.ahs.illinois.edu/. Method The mission of CHART is to enable successful aging through fundamental research; advanced technology development; education of researchers, developers, healthcare professionals, and older adults; guidance for policy decision-making; and translation of these efforts to positively affect the lives of older adults. CHART receives guidance from a Steering Committee that includes faculty members and community partners. We have adopted a set of core values that are foundational to our activities: transformative approach; positive views about aging; inclusive and people-centered design; ensure equity, reduce disparities; affordable, available, high-quality, effective solutions; research with older adults, not for them; integration with industry, agencies, policy makers; international in scope and impact; interdisciplinary and collaborative. Results and Discussion CHART is the lead on the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative that was approved at our university in 2020. We had tremendous support for our proposal from all areas of campus, including the Chancellor, the Provost, six deans, and several institute directors. We are using the shared principles of the AFU as a framework to advance the mission of CHART. As such, we are developing strong links to the community, coordinating efforts with the Age-Friendly Champaign-Urbana Cities group, the Senior Task Force, and the Illinois Department on Aging. We are supporting a student organization that is intended to link undergraduate students with older adults in the community and assist them in developing legacy books that tell their story. We are developing the CHART Panel of Elders that will enable researchers to receive guidance on their technology development activities from older adults with a range of abilities. We work closely with interdisciplinary faculty teams to support their grant activities and facilitate their use of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, a novel home simulation space on campus. The LIFE Home is multi-function and interdisciplinary facility to support research, education, and outreach activities, including a simulated home environment for research; teaching, learning, and design activities; faculty innovation; community engagement; industry partnerships; and healthcare provider collaborations.
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