CITRA is made up of Cornell researchers engaged in translational research —that is, the development of new ways to rapidly move the findings of basic social science research into programs and policies that benefit at-risk individuals. CITRA is therefore committed to the timely translation of basic research on aging into policy and practice. Among its goals are 1) investigator development in the area of translational research; 2) close collaboration with potential end-users of research (such as practitioners and policymakers) in developing research projects; and 3) a focus on promoting scientifically rigorous intervention research studies. Research dissemination takes place through various means and in the form of practice-based research reviews. CITRA fosters community-based research partnerships with a variety of collaborators. They are affiliated with the Translational Research Institute for Pain in Late Life (TRIPLL) located at Weill Cornell Medical College, Division of Geriatrics, in New York City. More recently, CITRA has developed a research initiative which involves interdisciplinary researchers from Cornell, national experts, and policy makers in the framing of a research agenda focusing on issues related to “Aging and the Environment”

Karl Pillemer (Cornell University College of Human Ecology, Department of Human Development), Elaine Wethington (Cornell University College of Human Ecology, Department of Human Development), and Cary Reid (Weill Cornell Medical College, Division of Geriatrics) provide leadership for CITRA.

CPP activities are centered on three core research themes: (1) Evolving Family Patterns, (2) Health Behaviors and Disparities, and (3) Poverty and Inequality. These complementary and overlapping themes draw on Cornell faculty’s considerable research strengths and longstanding national and international visibility in the demographic community. A unique strength at Cornell University is its crosscutting and multidisciplinary demographic research that has given voice to research along several key substantive dimensions: domestic and international, racial and ethnic diversity (including immigration), social and biological, and basic and applied policy research. These four cross-cutting themes link the core research themes (e.g., racial disparities and health, family policy and poverty), while also highlighting the depth and breadth of demographic research across campus.

CPP activities have been spearheaded through the collaborative efforts of economist Elizabeth Peters, director of Cornell’s Evolving Families Project and demographer and sociologist, Daniel Lichter, director of the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center. CPP has as its goal the establishment of a multidisciplinary NIH-funded population research and training center that serves faculty and students campus-wide.

Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) comprises three major areas of activity: New York Statistical Information System (NYsis), Consumer Demographics and Market Strategies (CDMS), and School Demography. The NYsis initiative includes: research, evaluation and production of population estimates and projections representing New York State in the US Census Bureau's Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates. CDMS promotes economic development by improving the knowledge of consumer oriented businesses regarding the markets in which they compete. The School Demography initiative produces small area population estimates and projections by providing technical assistance to individual school districts with respect to enrollment forecasting.