Wake Forest Claude D. Pepper OAIC - Renewal

Funded since 1992, the Wake Forest Older Americans Independence Center (WF OAIC) has developed and tested interventions to improve physical function and prevent disability by applying a translational approach that integrates medicine, behavioral and cognitive science, biostatistics, muscle and adipose tissue biology, pertinent animal models, genomics, novel imaging modalities, and clinical and population approaches. Based on its theme, integrating pathways affecting physical function for new approaches to disability treatment and prevention, the WF OAIC will pursue four programmatic aims: 1. Discover new pathways contributing to age-related declines in physical function and disability risk; 2. Develop, evaluate and refine strategies for disability treatment and prevention; 3. Translate proven strategies beyond the traditional research environment; and 4. Train the next generation of research leaders focused on disability treatment and prevention. This renewal builds on the substantial achievements of the 2018-2023 cycle in which the WF OAIC made significant scientific progress supporting 62 externally-funded projects, 12 early- career faculty, and developing new mHealth and image processing tools. The WF OAIC will advance its aims in the first year of the next cycle by supporting four pilot studies, two research development projects, four early-career faculty and 23 externally-funded projects. The aims will be pursued by integrating the efforts of four highly productive research support cores: the Clinical Research Core; Integrative Biology Core; Biostatistics and Research Information Systems Core; and Bioimaging Resource Core. Under the continuing and dedicated leadership of Drs. Stephen Kritchevsky and Dalane Kitzman, the Leadership and Administrative Core will coordinate these research core activities with those of the Research Education Component and the Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core.