Participate in research, community outreach, educational programs, and clinical work.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore hosts numerous centers across campus that focus on aging. There are opportunities to participate in research, community outreach, educational programs, and clinical work. By participating in any of these centers, it can help our campus, city, and state become more age friendly. Please review the brief descriptions of each and join some of the activities.
University of Maryland Pepper Center
The University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (UM-OAIC) is one of 15 current Pepper Centers across the country that support biomedical research leading to maintenance of functional independence in older adults. Since the UM-OAIC was established in 1994, it has successfully demonstrated that rehabilitation interventions improve cardiovascular fitness, ambulation (walking), balance, and activities of daily living which can reduce health-related risk factors in older individuals with chronic disabling diseases. The UM-OAIC is made possible by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and is led by Jay Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg; Alice Ryan, PhD; and Leslie Katzel, MD, PhD. The UM-OAIC provides pilot funding for studies that align with the UM-OAIC mission and trains the next generation of investigators who will further the understanding of the aging process and develop interventions that help promote health and independence in older adults with disabling medical conditions. For more information, contact Alice Ryan at aryan@som.umaryland.edu or check out the website: https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/peppercenter/.
Center for Research on Aging
Established in 1998, the Center for Research on Aging is led by Jay Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg, and Alice Ryan, PhD, who serves as co-director for translational science. The mission of the Center for Research on Aging is to facilitate, amplify, and enrich research in gerontology and geriatrics; provide outstanding research training and educational opportunities in gerontology for graduate students and health professionals; and enhance delivery of excellent multidisciplinary geriatric care that prevents functional and mental disability in older adults and promotes a healthy lifestyle. The Center for Research on Aging is a collaborative effort of 165 researchers who focus on aging research, education, and clinical care at University of Maryland campuses. To join in the center activities, which include presentations, poster sessions, and sharing of grant ideas for development, contact Jay Magaziner at jmagazin@epi.umaryland.edu or check out the website: https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/research-centers/Center-for-Research-on-Aging/.
The Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging
The Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging was started in 1978 at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and has a history of improving drug therapy for aging adults through innovative research, education, and clinical initiatives. It is under the leadership of Nicole Brandt, PharmD, MBA, executive director; Linda Wastila, BSPharm, MSPH, PhD, director of research; and Chanel F. Whittaker, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, director of education and training. The faculty conduct research directed toward the production of new scientific knowledge with practical application in improving medication-related needs for older adults. The center’s educational activities range from in-house training opportunities for predoctoral students and postdoctoral residents and fellows to organized community outreach programs with interprofessional students. The center’s clinical mission is dedicated to strengthening the tie between education and practice through clinical rotations and consultancy arrangements in various practice settings. The center boasts faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, residents, and pharmacy students with not only clinical backgrounds, but also those with advanced training in epidemiology, policy, economics, social work, and health services research. The center promotes and encourages interdisciplinary work. Please contact Nicole Brandt for more information at nbrandt@rx.umaryland.edu or check out the website http://www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/centers/lamy/.
The Biology and Behavior Across the Lifespan Center of Excellence
Housed in the University of Maryland School of Nursing and co-directed by Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP, and Jennifer Klinedinst, PhD, the Biology and Behavior Across the Lifespan Center of Excellence (BBAL) was developed to integrate psychological and behavioral factors with biological factors and enhance current knowledge regarding how physical activity and other health behaviors influence disease states such as depression. It is the integration of biology and behavior that will move the science forward about disease prevention and management and optimization of health across the lifespan. The center serves as an important melting pot of research ideas regarding clinically focused questions as well as a major way in which we disseminate information about research relevant activities and information from our own campus as well as national and international activities. At our monthly meetings, we provide current research relevant information about regulatory issues mandated from the National Institutes of Health or our own Institutional Review Board and present current research findings. The center offers quarterly research facilitation grants to our members, both students and faculty alike. Please contact Barbara Resnick at resnick@umaryland.edu or check out the website: https://www.nursing.umaryland.edu/research/research-centers/bbal/.