Career Training in the Biology of Aging

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

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Abstract

Project Summary The Career Training in the Biology of Aging training program provides graduate students and post-doctoral fellows with a comprehensive, in-depth research training in aging biology, which emphasizes logical and con- ceptual thinking, together with career-oriented mentoring designed to promote success in a diverse professional landscape. Aging biology has a long and proud history at the University of Michigan (UM), which is one of the top Universities in the world with institutional support for aging research that is at an elite level. The Geriatrics Center is recognized internationally for clinical, educational, and research programs, and it provides an out- standing setting for our Training Program. The program benefits from a Claude Pepper Older Americans Inde- pendence Center, the Ann Arbor VA GRECC (Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center), the Michigan Biology of Cardiovascular Aging program, and the Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research. Our preceptors are a diverse, highly interactive, well-funded, and creative group that span 15 different departments/programs and four schools at UM. As a group we have recruited promising junior faculty members to our program and expanded our national recognition through individual faculty awards and institutional support (e.g., the Glenn Laboratories designation and $12m investment from the Medical School to recruit six new faculty members in aging biology). The popularity and success of our program has seen a doubling of candidate trainees over the past decade, which has enabled us to appoint highly qualified trainees to each of our training positions every year, consisting of 6 pre-doctoral and 3 post-doctoral training positions. Our program has long emphasized hy- pothesis-based laboratory training through creative and impactful research, and we have proactively enriched these experiences with successful initiatives that have enhanced diversity, provided exposure to broad career opportunities, promoted synergy between the pre- and post-doctoral trainees, and stimulated relationship building with our extensive alumni network. As a result, our trainees have enjoyed tremendous success across the professional landscape, and they have been well positioned for the explosion of public and private interest in aging biology. While continuing our successful Biogerontology Research Seminars, Journal Clubs, and Research Symposia, we have implemented new career-oriented initiatives, such as the development of our Aging Buddies Mentorship program, which matches current trainees with like-minded alumni who have succeeded in distinct career paths. These additions complement successful efforts in mentorship including Certificate Programs that provide enhanced training in areas such as teaching, public policy, and entrepreneurship; integrated Individual Development Plans; summer workshops on coding, statistical rigor, and science writing; mentorship committees for our post-doctoral trainees and junior faculty; extensive training in the responsible conduct of research; and focused efforts to recruit and retain a diverse trainee population, which has nearly quadrupled diversity in the program over the past decade.