The mission of AGE is (i) to promote biomedical aging studies intended to increase the functional life span of humans (ii) To increase knowledge of biogerontology among relevant communities of research and practice and (iii) to inform, facilitate and engage the public regarding the progress and potential of aging research to deliver a long and healthy life. This mission is closely aligned to that of NIA; accordingly the society seeks financial support for our Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). Our ASM is the primary means by which this mission is delivered. It is at once the only annual meeting in the USA exclusively focused on biogerontology and one of the longest standing and most prestigious aging meetings in the world. To facilitate attendance by the widest possible range of stakeholders, the location of AGE meetings is changed annually. Accordingly, recent meetings have taken place in Seattle (2016), Los Angeles, (2015), San Antonio (2014), Baltimore (2013) and Fort Worth (2012). The 2017 meeting is the first AGE has held in New York. The popularity of the destination, the presence of some of the world?s most highly ranked universities and the relative ease of travel were central to the selection of this city and are expected to draw high attendance, especially from Europe which will increase the reach and diversity of our meeting. Our 2017 meeting will address three major goals. Firstly, to deepen the knowledge of attendees by devoting sessions to key research fields under-represented at past AGE meetings (e.g. replicative senescence, inflammation and immune senescence). Secondly, to broaden the expertise available to the field by devoting sessions to new model systems (both human and non-human). Lastly, to build the ?social capital of science? by helping researchers of all experience levels and from laboratories across the world form a cohesive and mutually supporting community. This is being delivered with a cross-cutting emphasis on (i) wherever possible inviting scientists who have made exceptional research contributions but are not ?regulars on the conference circuit,? (ii) considering the translational aspects of the work within the context of each session, (iii) emphasizing participation by junior investigators and trainees and (iv) ensuring gender equality. Of the invited speakers more than half have never spoken or attended an AGE meeting before. AGE is a primary vehicle of career progression for young gerontologists. The New York meeting seeks to enhance this by hosting special networking and data blitz sessions for pre-doctoral students, allowing them to meet new collaborators and offering new pairings the opportunity to co-publish reviews in our journal Geroscience (formally AGE, current impact factor= 3.45).
The American Aging Association (AGE) Annual Meeting of 2016 ?Aging: Molecules to Main Street? will provide a dynamic, collegial and interactive forum showcasing the latest discoveries in aging research. This meeting will bring together established thought leaders from different disciplines, new rising stars and trainees to exchange ideas and integrate new research findings into a coherent body of knowledge and practice directed toward the improvement of health in later life.
