ABOUT
The HARP Lab
The Healthy Aging and Resilient Places (HARP) Lab was launched in 2021 with funding support from the Center on Aging at the University of Utah. The HARP Lab builds off years of research and collaboration at the University of Utah, surrounding the concept of resilient places, including the 2017 Center on Aging (CoA) retreat, “Resilient Places for an Aging Society: Adaptive Capacity Promotion for Healthy Living”. We also build upon collaborations with a broad network of research centers and partners, including the Center on Aging (CoA), the Consortium for Families and Health Research (C-FAHR), the Interdisciplinary Exchange for Utah Science (NEXUS), the Global Change & Sustainability Center (GCSC), the Metropolitan Research Center (MRC), the Aging Brain Care (ABC) program, the Utah Commission on Aging (UCOA), and the ASSIST. We aim to leverage these existing collaborations and build new partnerships with researchers and practitioners working on pressing issues for an aging population.
"We are an action-oriented research lab developing a place-based approach to healthy aging and resilient places."
Our Vision
We envision a future where all people live healthier lives in their communities; build resilience in the face of uncertainty; and have equitable access to neighborhood resources and opportunities that promote health and resilience across the lifespan.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to help create a healthier and more resilient place for everyone across the life span. We seek to serve as an interdisciplinary research hub, knitting together academic and community expertise and creating new opportunities for research funding, training, and knowledge dissemination. By fostering collaboration across multiple disciplines, we aim to catalyze community-engaged, action-oriented research focused on healthy aging and resilient places.
Our Approaches
CAPACITY BUILDING
Create a HARP network and community of practice (CoP) at the University of Utah through workshops and symposiums focused on exchanging and transferring knowledge, fostering collaboration, and sharing novel research ideas across disciplines.
RESEARCH
Develop a strategic research agenda for promoting interdisciplinary research within and between the three thematic areas: built environment, aging, and health, to develop multiple proposals that will lead to more substantial external funding.
EDUCATION
Serve as an incubating platform to train the next generation of leaders on healthy aging and resilient places research by connecting students with potential mentors within and outside campus, and providing institutional support for students to submit external grants.