Research Education Component

PROJECT SUMMARY REC The goal of the UConn OAIC Research Education Component (REC) is to create a new generation of investigators in aging with exposure to multidisciplinary translational science and expertise in Precision Gerontology, an area of special emphasis for this proposal. Our goals will be accomplished through 4 aims: Aim 1: Identify and promote careers of individuals poised to conduct Precision Gerontology research by providing direct OAIC and matching institutional support together with “in kind” services for 5 Pepper Scholars, with additional efforts to attract junior investigators and support Emerging Scholars; Aim 2: Provide structured career development for skills that address the broad range of Precision Gerontology research undertaken at the OAIC (basic, clinical, health services, and epidemiology) through a broad array of didactic and experiential offerings, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches to translation between the bench, bedside and the community; Aim 3: Provide Coordination and Management Services within the REC and across OAIC Cores involving access to experienced mentors, feedback, career guidance, direct financial per commitments in letters from UConn School of Medicine, UConn VP for Research and Jackson Lab plus opportunities to collaborate with other cores and units within and outside the institution for OAIC-related themes. The REC will be led by Dr. David Steffens, MD, MHS, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at UConn Health who will be assisted by Dr. George Kuchel, MD (REC co-leader; OAIC PI). Both are accomplished mentors, leaders and leaders in aging research. At the same time, they offer highly complementary backgrounds and skillsets, thus facilitating the leadership and scientific direction of a REC with a deep commitment to multidisciplinary team science and translation. For Year 1, we propose to recruit three highly promising junior faculty as Pepper Scholars. In the application we describe the wide pool of talent from which we can recruit Pepper Scholars across UConn Health, UConn Storrs and in the Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Pharmacy. We will aim to recruit a diverse group of young researchers whose collective expertise and interests reflect the broad goals and ambitions of this application. The REC will support a total three scholars per year in each of the five years of the project; should a Scholar graduate from the REC, another will be recruited as a new replacement.