The Yale Program on Aging /Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center

The Yale Program on Aging/Yale Pepper Center (POA/Pepper Center) is an inter-departmental, multidisciplinary center whose objectives are to investigate clinical, translational and epidemiologic topics related to the multi factorial issues of aging. It is supported through the National Institute on Aging. The mission of the Yale Pepper Center, established in 1992, is to provide intellectual leadership and innovation for aging research that will enhance older adults' independence. The unifying theme is the investigation of multifactorial geriatric health conditions. A major focus is to increase collaborative investigation among researchers and to translate research findings into improved healthcare delivery and public policy.

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The POA/Pepper Center is composed of five cores:

• Leadership and Administration Core
• Biostatistics Core
• Data Management and Informatics Core
• Field Core
• Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core
• Research and Development Core

The POA/Pepper Center provides support to numerous aging related projects at Yale and other institutions including those described below.

Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Aging

The overarching objective of the Yale/Hartford Center of Excellence in Aging is to increase the quantity, and enhance the quality, of faculty who are able to teach, conduct research, and provide leadership for aging issues within medical subspecialties and within designated geriatric programs. To accomplish this objective, the aim of the Yale/Hartford COE in Aging is to provide research training, support, and mentorship to highly qualified physician investigators pursuing careers in academic geriatric medicine or conducting age-related research in the medical specialties and subspecialties. Synergies among several age-related programs at Yale immerse the subspecialty awardees in aging and, as importantly, immerse aging into the subspecialties. Key programs with which the Hartford COE has strong synergies include the RWJ Clinical Scholars Program, the Investigative Medicine Program, the Reynolds Geriatric Curriculum development program, and other Hartford Foundation training programs.

Center on Disability and Disabling Disorders

The objective of the Yale Center on Disability and Disabling Disorders is to address fundamental issues related to the epidemiology and prevention of disability, a problem of immense importance to older persons, their families and society. Under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Gill (Director) and Dr. Nathalie de Rekeneire (Deputy Director), the Center conducts longitudinal studies and clinical trials to enhance the scientific knowledge base of the disablement process and to rigorously evaluate promising intervention strategies. The Center includes clinical investigators, across disciplines, who are pursuing aging research related to disability and disabling disorders. This includes functional assessment in general as well as the functional consequences of highly prevalent disease-specific conditions such as arthritis, heart failure, diabetes, stroke, depression, and dementia. Other faculty members include Dr. Lisa Barry (Depression), Dr. Sarwat Chaudhry (Heart Failure), and Dr. Carlos Fragoso (Sleep and Pulmonary Function). Among the ongoing studies are the Precipitating Events Project (PEP Study) and the T (testosterone) Trial. The Center works closely with the superb Resource Cores of the Program on Aging (Field, Biostatistics, and Informatics) and has access to data from several large NIH-sponsored studies, including the Health ABC Study, Cardiovascular Health Study, National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), and Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study. Ample research and training opportunities are available to fellows, residents, and students, including formal postdoctoral training in Geriatric Clinical Epidemiology and Aging-Related Research, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.

Dissemination Projects

Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention. The objective of the Collaboration is to implement, within the greater Hartford area, a multifaceted, multidisciplinary fall prevention program that reaches older adults via the existing health care system and community organizations. The fall prevention interventions are based on a randomized clinical trial conducted at Yale which found that a multifactorial intervention strategy resulted in a 36% reduction in the fall rate among community living older adults.

Biology of Aging Basic Science Research Program

This series includes fellows, trainees, and junior and senior faculty from multiple disciplines and departments engaged in basic science research, including animal studies, with a focus on aging. Please contact Dr. Al Shaw or Jane Mallory to be included on the mailing list. This series offers a forum for:

• Junior faculty to present in progress or completed studies and receive feedback from senior faculty senior investigators and outside investigators to present their work
• Bring together researchers from multiple disciplines and encourage collaborative relationships

Seminars are held monthly and attendance is about 15 people per seminar