The Yale Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) awarded pilot and scholar awards to four Yale faculty members in July 2022. The mission of the OAIC, which was established in 1992, is to provide intellectual leadership and innovation for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental aging research that is directed at enhancing the independence of older persons.
Yale Geriatrics Research Scientist Alexandra Hajduk, PhD, MPH, received a one-year pilot award. Hajduk’s proposal, “Can Type 2 Acute Myocardial Infarction Be Classified as a Geriatric Syndrome?” seeks to investigate the multifactorial etiology of type 2 myocardial infarction in older adults and examine whether its pathophysiology fits the definition of a geriatric syndrome.
Yale Child Study Center Associate Research Scientist Amanda M. Dettmer, PhD, received a one-year pilot award. Dettmer's proposal, “Epigenetic Aging Clock, Metabolomic, and Health Profiles in Adulthood Following Early Life Adversities in Nonhuman Primates,” seeks to capitalize on part of the National Institutes of Health Macaque Biobehavioral archive to study how experimentally-induced and naturally-occurring early life adversity are associated with differential likelihood of age-related changes in epigenetic aging, metabolomic profiles, and health outcomes in rhesus macaques.
Yale Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Instructor Snigdha Jain, MD, MHS, received a Scholar award. Jain’s proposal, “Distressing Symptoms and Disability Among Older Adults Following Critical Illness,” will rigorously evaluate how distressing symptoms change in the context of critical illness hospitalization and their relationship with subsequent disability among critical illness survivors.
Yale Cardiovascular Medicine Assistant Professor Michael Nanna, MD, MHS, received a Scholar award. Nanna’s proposal, “A Novel Decision Support Tool to Align Treatment Decisions with Individual Health Priorities in Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions Presenting with Chronic Coronary Disease,” will determine the specific considerations that factor into complex decision-making in older adults with chronic coronary disease, leveraging clinician and patient perspectives to create a dedicated decision support tool.
Additional information about the Yale OAIC, which is supported by the National Institute on Aging (P30AG021342), is available on the OAIC website.
The Section of Geriatrics strives to improve the health of older adults by providing exceptional patient care, training future leaders and innovators in aging, and engaging in cutting-edge research. To learn more about their mission, visit Geriatrics.