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.

Description: Jacquelyn B. James, Ph.D. is director of the Center on Aging & Work and the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work at Boston College; she is also a fellow in the Behavioral and Social Science Division of the Gerontological Society of America. Her research has focused on the meaning and experience of work, gender roles and stereotypes, adult development, perceptions of older workers and emerging retirement issues. Since 2014, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Dr. James has been building the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work, a multi-disciplinary, international network. Dr. James, along with Dr. Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, edited a special issue of the journal, Work, Aging & Retirement—Change in the Meaning and Experience of Work in Life. James is past president of the Society for the Study of Human Development and serves on the editorial board of Work, Aging & Retirement.

Description: Papers: Chronic Diseases and Longevity Risk: An Application to Type II Diabetes Insurance Products – Hsin-Chung Wang, Ph.D. - Aletheia University; Jack C. Yue, ASA, Ph.D. – National Chengchi University; Ting-Chung Chang - Chihlee University of Technology Understanding Multimorbidities - Sam Gutterman, FSA, CERA, FCA, FCAS, HONFIA, MAAA

Description: These are the Discussion Comments by Jean-Marc Fix for the Disease and Longevity Session 6B of the January 13-15, 2020 Living to 100 Symposium in Orlando, Florida.

Description: The presenters will share information about: -Insights into causes of death through the use of predictive models, based on a reinsured U.S. life portfolio, using logistic regression models to understand three main causes of death: cancer, heart and external causes; -Opioid abuse is a widespread phenomenon with drug-related mortality rates rising steeply in the U.S. over the past two decades. But what does the most recent data tell U.S. about the outlook for Opioid-related mortality?; -'Deaths of despair' have been publicized as a cause for the poor performance of U.S. mortality in recent years. The presenters will be looking at the different causes under this label, their evolution and explore the drivers behind them.

Description: The SOA recently launched the Mortality and Longevity Strategic Research Program with the release of a new study on the economic impact of opioid abuse. In this session, results of this study will be presented along with insights and plans for the future of the Program.

Description: Two recent SOA research projects will be discussed. The first covers analysis of the drivers of mortality that shaped trends in US mortality. The second will look at using causes of death to predict future mortality improvements