Scientific Advocacy to Eliminate Ageism: The Creation, Impact, and Global Expansion of the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA)

AbstractObjectives Ageism is a pervasive yet underrecognized determinant of health and mental health in later life. Evidence shows that ageist attitudes and structures contribute to delayed recognition of treatable conditions, reduced access to evidence-based care, and heightened vulnerability to neglect and abuse. This article examines the creation, rationale, and early impact of the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA) as a model of scientific advocacy—a novel, coalition-based approach that translates evidence and human-rights principles into system-level change. Methods Drawing on peer-reviewed research, implementation science, and international human-rights frameworks, we situate the CCAA within national and global efforts to eliminate ageism. The coalition's governance, multisectoral design, and flagship interventions—particularly the Ageism Awareness Module and Toolkit and the Older Persons Advisory Group—are examined as translational mechanisms linking science, practice, and rights-based reform. Results Global and national data confirm that ageism predicts poorer mental and physical health outcomes. The CCAA was established through co-design with older persons and cross-sector collaboration, producing freely accessible educational and policy tools now being adopted across clinical, educational, and organizational settings. Early implementation indicates shifts in awareness, reflective practice, and institutional norms across health, education, and community sectors. Conclusions Eliminating ageism is a clinical, ethical, and systems-level imperative for all clinicians. The CCAA offers a reproducible model of rights-informed scientific advocacy that aligns public health, mental health, and human-rights mandates, and is timely considering the UN Human Rights Council's 2025 launch of a process toward a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. As international law evolves, geriatric psychiatry is positioned to lead a paradigm shift—from deficit-based models of ageing to rights-based, capability-enhancing mental health care across the life course. As a field grounded in dignity, complexity, and relational care, geriatric psychiatry is uniquely positioned to serve as a catalyst for a more deeply humanistic medicine across disciplines, settings, and stages of the life course.