Professor Shereen Hussein talks to the International Federation on Ageing about the unique features of ageing in the Middle East and North Africa region. She highlights the parallel shifts towards higher prevalence of older people, the window of opportunities associated with large cohorts of working age groups and the changes in the family structures and migration. One of the key points she highlights is the lack of preparedness to ageing not only from a policy and infrastructure perspective but also at the social and normative level. She argues that the meaning of ageing and the expected contribution of older people within the society need to be challenged at the individual, family and state levels.
Watch extracts from Professor Hussein’s conversation at the Global Café, organised by the International Federation on Ageing.
To see Professor Hussein’s full video at the event click here.
Founder and Director
Shereen Husseinis a Health and Social Care Policy professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), United Kingdom.
Shereen Founded the MENARAH Network in 2019, through an initial grant from the Global Challenge Research Fund, UKRI. She is a medical demographer with expertise in ageing, family dynamics, migration and long-term care systems. Shereen regularly collaborates with the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the World Bank in policy and research focused on ageing in the Middle East and North Africa Region.
Shereen received her undergraduate degree in statistics and a postgraduate degree in computer science at Cairo University. She completed an MSc in medical demography at the London School of Hygiene and a PhD in quantitative demography and population studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom.