May 1–2, 2025 The Spring 2025 meeting of the Population Ecology, Aging & Health Network (PeCAHN) took place at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham, NC, bringing together scholars from around the world to exchange data, methods, and insights on human ecology, aging, and health across diverse populations. Over the course of two days, researchers shared field site updates, participated in hands-on workshops, and collaborated to refine shared tools for cross-site comparative analysis.
Figure 4. The location of current (2025-26) PEcAHN research projects.
Day 1 Highlights:
Field Site Updates: Presentations covered ongoing work among the Daasanach (Asher Rosinger), Turkana (Amanda Lea), communities in Madagascar (Charlie Nunn), REACH & Shuar (Tara Cepon Robins), CARE (Melanie Martin), Shodagor (Katie Starkweather), PASTOR (Eric Trexler), Tsimane & Hadza (Katie Sayre), GSMS (Elena Hinz), Himba (Sean Prall), and Orang Asli (Tom Kraft).
Workshops:
- Accelerometry Workshop: Led by Tom Kraft and Dave Raichlen, participants analyzed real accelerometry files using updated R scripts and explored harmonized protocols for measuring physical activity across sites.
- Market Integration Workshop: Teams examined a shared template for assessing economic engagement and urbanicity using field data, preparing for a cross-cultural comparative paper.
Day 2 Highlights:
- Team Collaboration: Small teams refined outputs from the accelerometry and market integration workshops.
- Presentations: Teams shared their preliminary results and outlined next steps for collaborative publications.
- Forward Planning: A final group discussion focused on future directions, shared datasets, and ongoing coordination within the network.
We thank all participants for their contributions, energy, and collaboration, and look forward to the next stages of analysis and writing!
Figure 5. Upper: Presentation during the PEcAHN Spring 2025 meeting showcasing preliminary results and ongoing cross-site initiatives. Bottom: Attendees of the first and second in-person PEcAHN meeting, at Duke University.
