AS THE POPULATION EXPANDS, THE NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS OVER THE AGE OF 65 IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE. THIS POPULATION EXPANSION IS EXPECTED TO CONSTITUTE A COSTLY AND EVER-INCREASING HEALTHCARE BURDEN. SPECIFICALLY, THE ELDERLY POPULATION ARE AT A GREATER RISK FOR TRAUMATIC INJURIES LIKE BURNS, ATTRIBUTED TO BOTH BIOLOGICAL (THINNING SKIN, DEREGULATED METABOLISM) AND NEUROLOGICAL (MENTAL DECLINE, DECREASED SENSATIONS) ALTERATIONS WITH AGING. THEREFORE, A PARADIGM SHIFT IS REQUIRED IN BOTH BURN CARE AND RESEARCH TO PLACE A GREATER EMPHASIS TO NOT ONLY REDUCE MORTALITY BUT ALSO IDENTIFY NOVEL TREATMENTS IN THIS RAPIDLY GROWING AGING POPULATION.REPORTING A LARGE COHORT TRIAL, CONDUCTED IN ELDERLY BURN PATIENTS, HERE WE SHOW THAT THIS POPULATION HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LONGER HOSPITAL STAY AND MORE COMPLICATIONS COMPARED TO ADULT BURN PATIENTS, WHICH WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED WOUND HEALING. THE IMPAIRED WOUND HEALING OBSERVED IN ELDERLY BURN PATIENTS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED POOL OF MESENCHYMAL PROGENITOR CELLS IN THEIR SKIN AND A DEFICIENT MIGRATION OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (MSCS) IN VITRO. ELDERLY PATIENTS DEMONSTRATED A FAILURE IN THE INITIATION OF THE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY CASCADE, AN ESSENTIAL STEP FOR OPTIMAL SKIN HEALING. BETWEEN INFLAMMATORY CELLS, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN BY US AND OTHER GROUPS THAT MYELOID LINEAGE CELLS ARE CRUCIAL FOR EFFECTIVE SKIN HEALING. MYELOID CELLS HAVE AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN RECRUITING MESENCHYMAL CELLS INTO THE WOUND BED EITHER THROUGH A PARACRINE EFFECT OR CELL-CELL ADHESION. HERE, I FURTHER DISCUSS THE CELL-CELL INTERPLAY DURING WOUND HEALING.