Description: In this session, panelists discuss the rationale behind aging research. They will explore recent demographic and biological insights. They will then explore when those breakthroughs could happen, what would their impact be on our understanding of mortality and mortality rates and the effect on different groups. Finally, it will be a chance to have your questions answered by that eminent set of panelists.

Description: Because data quality is critical in the measurement of an event as rare as the death of a supercentenarian, special care must be used. We will discuss practical methods of validation used by researchers in the field, alternate methodologies and data cleaning procedures to ensure validity of mortality data as extreme old age. We will also explore some of the consequences of inadequate data preparations on the curve of mortality at the end of life.