This is a request for continued support for research training at the University of Iowa Center on Aging. The goals of the Interdisciplinary Research Training Program in Aging are: 1) to provide multidisciplinary research and training in mechanisms and consequences of aging, 2) to prepare fellows for academic careers in geriatrics and gerontology, and 3) to bring special emphasis on aging research to a broad spectrum of professional disciplines. The program focuses on research and training dedicated to understanding mechanisms of the aging process and addressing the needs of the elderly, particularly in a rural setting. The research training program is structured in 4 cores: cardiovascular and pulmonary disease in aging, mechanisms and consequences of aging, degenerative neurological disease and stroke, and social and psychological aspects of aging. The program builds on the strengths of existing research programs in aging and diseases of the patient. These include the Cardiovascular Research Center, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Center for Oral Health and Aging, and Gerontological Nursing Intervention Research Center. Several ongoing aging-related seminars, journal clubs, discussion groups, and meetings with the directors, are offered to trainees to provide multidisciplinary and broad-based educational opportunities. Research training is provided by 76 faculty sponsors from 8 colleges within the University: Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Liberal Arts, Business, Engineering, Pharmacy, and Education. The sponsors are experienced investigators with a commitment to aging research. Trainees work closely with their sponsors in a supportive research environment. Predoctoral trainees have a strong interest in aging and are medical or dental students, or candidates for a Ph.D. in pharmacology, physiology, nursing, preventive medicine and other appropriate disciplines. Postdoctoral research prepares fellows for academic careers in geriatrics or gerontology, or leads to careers in other specialties with an emphasis on studies of aging. Strengths of the program are 1) many productive, well-funded mentors, 2) national leaders in areas of research critical to the phenomenon and problems of aging, 3) strong institutional commitment to develop outstanding training and research programs in aging, 4) strong educational programs in aging, 5) a fine institutional record of training in relevant disci lines and 6 outstanding clinical and research facilities.
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