This is a proposal to establish an NIA-funded Geriatric Research and Training Center at Harvard Medical School's Division of Aging and its affiliated institutions. The primary goal of the Center will be to develop junior geriatricians into academic leaders with effective research, teaching, and clinical capabilities, within a traditionally excellent research environment. Five research cores are proposed for the enhancement of ongoing research and the development of new projects, especially those of junior faculty. The five research units are: Subject Recruitment (IA); Diagnostic Evaluation (IB); Database Development and Data Management (IC); Clinical Physiology (ID); and Biomedical Engineering and Physics (IE). A Research Development Core (II) will provide educational and career development opportunities for fellows and junior faculty. Fifteen experienced, well-funded faculty scientists, many of whom are established geriatrician investigators, will serve as potential mentors for junior faculty in eight areas: (1) geriatric medicine, (2) public health epidemiology, (3) cardiovascular renal, (4) endocrinology/metabolism, (5) neurosciences, (6) hemostasis thrombosis, (7) genetics cell/molecular biology, and (8) biomedical engineering physics. The aim of the proposed Leadership/Administrative Core (III) is to develop and maintain an environment that nurtures innovative, socially responsive, multidisciplinary research and training in aging processes and geriatrics, thereby ensuring the availability of future academic leaders in geriatric medicine.

Ultimately we aim to develop junior faculty into independent scientific investigators who can apply basic research findings to clinical geriatric problems. This can best be accomplished within a Geriatric Research and Training Center.

P30AG008812

1990-03-01

1995-02-28