Howard Litwin
E-mail: howie.litwin@mail.huji.ac.il
Higher Education
2011 Ph.D., (Social Work, Columbia University, U.S.A)
1978-1982 D.S.W., (Social Work, Columbia University, U.S.A)
1970-1972 M.S.W., (Social Work, Rutgers University, U.S.A)
1966-1970 B.A., (Sociology, Rutgers University, U.S.A)
Awards and Excellence Scholarships (Within the Past Five Years)
2014 Michael Landau Prize for Science and Research, Mifal HaPayis.
Appointments at the Hebrew University
1998-2016 Full Professor, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
1993-1998 Associate Professor, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
1988-1993 Senior Lecturer, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
1982-1988 Lecturer, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
Additional Functions (Within the Past Five Years)
2003-2019 Founding Director, Israel Gerontological Data Center
2010-present Area Coordinator, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
2010-present Management Board, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
2012-2017 Co-Editor-in-Chief, European Journal of Ageing
Research Grants (Within the Past Five Years)
2015-2019 Horizon 2020 (INFRADEV), Achieving world class standards in all SHARE countries (SHAREDEV3), 313,943 (USD equivalent).
2015-2019 NIH/NIA, Enhancing sleep and physical activity measurement in the HRS family of studies, 184,197 (USD).
2015-2019 Horizon 2020 (INFRADEV), Synergies for Europe's research infrastructures in the social sciences (SERISS)), 301,254 (USD equivalent).
2015-2019 NIH/NIA (R01), Further extension of the SHARE-Israel panel study (PI), 1,082,566 (USD).
2017-2019 Israel Government Consortium, SHARE-Israel waves 5 and 6 (PI), 1,164,000 (USD equivalent).
2015-2019 Horizon 2020 (INFRADEV), Cohesion in further developing and innovating SHARE across all 28 member countries (SHARE-COHESION), 502,698 (USD equivalent).
List of Publication (Within the Past Five Years)
Books & Edited Books
Börsch-Supan, A., Kneip, T., Litwin, H., Myck, M., and Weber, G. (Eds.), (2015). Ageing in Europe: Supporting policies for an inclusive society. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Börsch-Supan, A., Bristle, J., Andersen-Ranberg, K., Brugiavini, A., Jusot, F., Litwin, H., and Weber, G. (Eds.), (2019). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7.
Chapters in Collections
Schwartz, E., Litwin, H. and Kotte, M. (2017). Measuring social network and network changes in SHARE wave six. In: F. Malter, and A. Börsch-Supan (Eds.). SHARE wave 6: Panel innovations and collecting dried blood spots (pp. 22-39). Munich: MEA, Max-Planck-Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
Litwin, H. (2018). International perspectives on older adult social health, social relationships, and social isolation. In: L.W. Kaye and C.M. Singer (Eds.). Social isolation in later life: Strategies for bolstering health and well-being (pp. 49-63). New York: Springer.
Börsch-Supan, A., Bristle, K., Andersen-Ranberg, K., Brugiavini, A., Jusot, F., Litwin, H. and Weber, G. (2019). A spotlight on health and life courses in Europe using SHARE waves 6 and 7. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 1-31). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Damri, N. and Litwin, H. (2019). Relations with parents in childhood and well-being in later life. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 57-65). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Erlich, B. and Litwin, H. (2019). Personality, age and the well-being of older Europeans. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 35-41). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Ostrovsky-Berman, E. and Litwin, H. (2019). Financial and time transfers from parents to adult children after the economic crisis. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 205-213). Berlin/ Boston: De Gruyte,.
Schwartz, E. and Litwin, H. (2019). Changes in social networks and cognitive decline. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 217-223). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Shemesh, J., Schwartz, E. and Litwin, H. (2019). Personality and physical health among older Europeans. In: A. Börsch-Supan, et al., (Eds.). Health and socioeconomic status over the life course: First results from SHARE waves 6 and 7 (pp. 43-48). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
Litwin, H. (2019). Intergenerational exchanges. In: D. Gu and M.E. Dupre (Eds.). Encyclopedia of gerontology and population aging. Springer International Publishing, Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_508-1
Damri, N. and Litwin, H. (2019). New measures for interpersonal environment during childhood. In: M. Bergmann, A. Scherpenzeel and A. Börsch-Supan (Eds.). SHARE wave 7 methodology: Panel innovations and life histories (pp. 35-37). Munich: MEA, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
Levinsky, M., Litwin, H. and Lechner, C. (2019). Personality traits: The ten-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). In: M. Bergmann, A. Scherpenzeel & A. Börsch-Supan (Eds.). SHARE wave 7 methodology: Panel innovations and life histories (pp. 29-34). Munich: MEA, Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
Journal Articles
Litwin, H., and Stoeckel, K.J. (2016). Social network, activity participation and cognition: A complex relationship. Research on Aging 38(1), 76-97.
Stoeckel K.J., and Litwin, H. (2016). The impact of social networks on the relationship between functional impairment and depressive symptoms in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(1), 39-47.
Damri, N., and Litwin, H. (2016). Minority population group status and QOL change: the case of older Israelis. European Journal of Ageing, 13(4), 299-309.
Shrira, A., Shmotkin, D., Palgi, Y., Hoffman, Y., Bodner, E., Ben-Ezra, M., and Litwin, H. (2017). Older adults exposed to ongoing versus intense time-limited missile attacks: Differences in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 80(1), 64–78.
Dwolatzky, T., Brodsky, J., Azaiza, F., Clarfield, A.M., Jacobs, J.M., and Litwin, H. (2017). Coming of age: Health care challenges of an ageing population in Israel. Lancet, http://dx.doi.org/: 10.1016/ S0140-6736(17)30789-4.
Litwin, H., Schwartz, E., and Avital, D. (2017). Religiosity and well-being among older Jewish Israelis: Findings from SHARE. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 29(2-3), 208-223.
Litwin, H., Schwartz, E., and Damri, N. (2017). Cognitively stimulating leisure activity and subsequent cognitive function: A SHARE-based analysis. The Gerontologist, 57(5), 940-948.
Schwartz, E., and Litwin, H. (2017). Are newly added and lost confidants in later life related to subsequent mental health? International Psychogeriatrics, 29(12), 2047-2057.
Schwartz, E., and Litwin, H. (2017). The reciprocal relationship between social connectedness and mental health in older European adults: a SHARE based analysis. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 74(4), 694–702.
Litwin, H., and Levinson, M. (2018). The association of mobility limitation and social networks in relation to late-life activity. Ageing & Society. 38(9), 1771-1790.
Litwin, H., Erlich, B., and Dunsky, A. (2018). The complex association between fear of falling and mobility limitation in relation to late life falls: A SHARE-based analysis. Journal of Aging & Health, 30(6), 987-1008.
Schwartz, E., and Litwin, H. (2018). Social network changes among older Europeans: the role of gender. European Journal of Ageing, 15(4), 359–367.
Calvó-Perxas, L., Vilalta-Franch, J., Litwin, H., Turró-Garriga, O., Mira, P., and Garre-Olmo, J. (2018). What seems to matter in public policy and the health of informal caregivers? A cross-sectional analysis in 12 European countries. PLoS ONE, 13(3): e0194232, doi: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0194232.
Schwartz, E., Khalaila, R., and Litwin, H. (2019). Contact frequency and cognitive health among older adults in Israel. Aging & Mental Health, 23(8), 1008-1016.
Litwin, H. and Shaul, A. (2019). The effect of social network on the physical activity—cognitive function nexus in late life. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(5), 713-722.
Ostrovsky-Berman, E. and Litwin, H. (2019). Social networks and financial risk tolerance among investors nearing and during retirement. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 40(2), 237-249.
Schwartz, E., and Litwin, H. (2019). Warfare exposure in later life and cognitive function: The moderating role of social connectedness. Psychiatry Research, 278, 258-262.
Peleg, S., and Litwin, H. (2019). Differential effects of social network on health in later life and the moderating role of depression OBM Geriatrics, 3(3), doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1903xxx.
Litwin, H., Levinsky, M., and Schwartz, E. (2020). Network type, transition patterns and well-being among older Europeans. European Journal of Ageing, 17(2), 241–250.
Litwin, H., and Levinsky, M. (2020). Always alone? Network transitions among detached older Europeans and their effects. Ageing & Society, Published online: doi: 10.1017/S0144686X20000240.