For the sixth consecutive time, the Yale Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) has been renewed for funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The Center is one of only two such programs nationwide to receive continuous NIA support since it was first funded in 1992, marking more than 30 years of excellence in geriatrics and aging research under the leadership of Thomas M. Gill, MD; Terri Fried, MD; and Mary Tinetti, MD.
The latest renewal, totaling more than $6.5 million over five years, supports the innovative work of this multidisciplinary center. The focus of the center has long been the investigation of complex geriatric conditions that have multiple causes, or that affect multiple outcomes. From this perspective, the center’s objectives are to increase scientific knowledge, advance the science of clinical decision making, and educate new investigators dedicated to aging research.
The funding renewal will be directed to a wide range of activities, including career development of leaders in aging research; training; study design and development; strategies for recruitment of older persons into studies; investigations of causes and treatments for complex geriatric conditions; interdisciplinary research; and strengthening collaborations.
According to Gill, who serves as the principal investigator, the Pepper Center’s “interdisciplinary team and environment nurture leadership roles and research skills in OAIC junior investigators and advance the scientific knowledge base of multifactorial geriatric conditions and, in turn, change the way that we practice medicine.”
The Center provides an infrastructure for aging research at Yale and makes major investments in pilot studies and in the next generation of investigators committed to pursuing aging research. Yale currently serves as the data coordinating center for D-CARE, the largest dementia caregiver trial ever conducted, and LIVE BETTER, a new PCORI-sponsored multi-center trial being led by Pepper Scholar, Michael Nanna, MD MHS, FSCAI, in cardiovascular medicine.
The Department of Internal Medicine’s 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.