UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center

University Of Texas Med Br Galveston, Galveston TX

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) has been funded since 2000. The Center is home to an interdisciplinary team of investigators who are committed to advancing aging science. We have developed and supported investigators, research, and expertise in gerontology and geriatrics to accomplish the national OAIC mission: Establish centers of excellence in geriatrics research and research education to increase scientific knowledge leading to better ways to maintain or restore independence in older persons. We have trained 41 Scholars and published more than 860 papers. For the upcoming cycle, we will build on our established infrastructure and accomplishments to support innovative translational aging research and train the next generation of leaders in gerontology and geriatrics. The UTMB OAIC’s guiding theme is: Enhance functional independence in older adults with chronic disabling conditions by reducing health disparities. Our program’s aims are: 1) Test interactions among biobehavioral, health system, and social factors in age-related trajectories of disability and functional independence, 2) Develop and evaluate interventions to maintain or restore functional independence in chronic disabling conditions, 3) Translate interventions to the real world and clinical settings in different populations, 4) Recruit, mentor, and develop early career faculty members. Our goal is to improve functional independence in older people with chronic disabling conditions by addressing how demographic, social and environmental factors affect their health. By leveraging partnerships with other institutional programs, we will expand our research in the select areas of disability acquired early in life, eliminating barriers to participation in research for older adults experiencing health disparities, and novel technology-enabled interventions. We will pursue our aims by integrating the activities of our two highly productive and expanded Resource Cores from prior cycles (Research Design, Analysis, & Data management; Clinical and Community Based Research) and one new core (Technology-Enabled Research). These cores will co-create innovative methods and support methodology training in support of our externally funded and pilot projects. The Research Education Core (REC) will coordinate Scholars’ education and training, and the Pilot/Exploratory Core (PESC) will promote scientific innovation by supporting new research. The Leadership Administrative Core (LAC) will coordinate, integrate and oversee all activities and link the OAIC with our institutional resources, our RCMAR, the other OAICs, and the NIA Resource Center Coordinating Network (RCCN).