Always Something New

by Felice Gelman

Introduction

Many of you know Ray Yip, an LLI member, from the popular courses he has taught on evidence-based strategies for aging successfully. His courses draw on his long and varied career as an epidemiologist and public health expert. Ray says, “People know many of the things about exercise and diet that can improve life as you age, but they don’t know the why of them. People are living longer, but how well they live, particularly in their tenth decade of life, is the issue.”

Unrelenting Curiosity

Born in Taiwan, Ray was trained as a medical doctor and as a scientist at American universities. He says he has always been driven not just to acquire information but to understand why. This unrelenting curiosity led him to a very varied career in medicine. He began as a clinical researcher and professor in pediatric health, studying childhood anemia. The Centers for Disease Control recruited him to work on child health issues, and there he was trained in field epidemiology, the real-time, on-site investigation of unexpected health threats. This led him to a number of assignments in international emergency response.

20 Years in China

A move to UNICEF took Ray and his family to Indonesia for three years and then to China. China became a full- or part-time home for Ray’s family for the next 20 years with work for UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control, and the then Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He had the opportunity to train Chinese field epidemiologists to respond to the SARS outbreak, to establish the US-funded AIDS program, and to advise on the development of the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries.

Coming to LLI

After he retired to Woodstock, what brought him to LLI? Ray’s wife, Florence Bannicq, joined LLI about five years ago. During COVID, when LLI classes were held on Zoom, Ray sat in, and he was hooked. He says, “The value is not just in the classes, but also the people you meet, the breadth of their experience and shared interests.” And, he finds, you can still contribute. These social and intellectual opportunities are another important element in healthy aging.

Something New...

Ray’s interests have not stopped with teaching at LLI. He has been clearing the undergrowth and fallen trees from his 30 acres of woods and has built almost two miles of trails. The trails lead one on a path to a variety of rustic sculptures, created from fallen trees and branches. He has been working on this open-ended art project for about two years.

This fall, Ray returns with his course, Healthy Aging: Part One, built around his belief that “Aging is inevitable, but the speed of decline can be significantly altered.” Those fortunate enough to have a seat in the room won’t want to miss his timely message.