The proposal outlines the career development plan for a young investigator with an interest in epidemiological and clinical approaches to the study of the underlying causes of disability in older adults following acute events such as hip fracture. Training investigators, with an interest in this area is important, because in order to maintain independence in older adults we must first understand the causes of disability. ABSTRACT: Dr. Ram Miller is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gerontology, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, at the University of Maryland. He trained in Geriatric Medicine and received a Masters degree in epidemiology from Boston University. In this proposal, under mentorship of Dr. Jay Magaziner, Head of the Division of Gerontology, who is known for his extensive work related to recovery from hip fracture and Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, a Geriatrician renowned for his work on aging and the mechanisms of frailty, Dr. Miller outlines a career development plan that will enable him to become an independent researcher. In elders, higher serum levels of inflammatory cytokines have been associated with sarcopenia, decreased strength and functional loss. Whether the functional loss seen following hip fracture is mediated by changes in muscle due to the negative effects of inflammation is not known.
In Specific Aim 1; Dr. Miller proposes to determine the change in inflammatory cytokine levels following hip fracture in older adults.
Specific Aim 2; he will prospectively examine the effects of inflammation on muscle in older adults post hip fracture.
Specific Aim 3; he will prospectively examine factors that may influence the inflammatory response and subsequent changes in muscle following hip fracture including the effect of intervention with exercise and vitamin D. Dr. Miller's strong mentorship, supportive environment, carefully designed career development program and research plan will give him the experience and tools needed for him to develop into a sucessful independent researcher studying the mechanisms that underlie the association of inflammation with functional loss and recovery in older adults. ? ? ?
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