Research focus and long-range goals The UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Center (OAIC) is designed to promote the independence of older persons by providing support for research to develop and test clinical interventions, and for core research in the basic sciences. An equally important component of the UCLA OAIC~s mission is training future leaders in aging research. The OAICspecific aims include: a. to continue to serve as the focal point for geriatrics and gerontologival research within the UCLA community b. to link interventional research to basic science research with the common goal of promoting independence of older persons c. to devlelop and test clinical interventions that have direct effects on the independence of older persons and will, thereby, advance the field of clinical geriatrics and gerontology. d. to conduct basic science research that has potential clinical applications in maintaining independence e. to use established methods of health, utility, and cost measurement to assess and suggest ways to improve the cost effectiveness of clinical interventions f. to train future faculty leaders in aging research that is consistent with the UCLA OAIC g. to extend OAIC resources into the UCLA campus to increase the quality of aging research throughout the campus and to attract new and established researchers into aging research h. to study a wide range of populations in these research efforts, including subjects with diverse levels of baseline independence OAIC research projects address a broad spectrum of health, ranging from those who need preventive services (e.g., to prevent osteoporosis and to increase muscle strength) to those who are among the frailest nursing home residents whose immobility and chronic medical conditions place them at high risk for infections, high health care utilization, and mortality. This choice reflects the understanding that independence can range from maintaining active life styles unimpeded by the diseases that accompany usual aging (Rowe, 1987) to preventing further dependency among those who can no longer live in the community. UCLA Pepper Center sponsored research follow a common theme, """"""""linking interventional research to basic science,"""""""" which all major projects incorporate. Accordingly, each research project relates a current or potential clinical intervention to a basic science. We have defined basic sciences broadly, recognizing that biologic sciences (e.g., molecular biology and immunology), physical sciences (e.g., biomechanics), and social sciences (e.g., cost-effective analysis, behavioral theory) are all fundamentals upon which clinical interventions are derived and evaluated. In particular, the UCLA OAIC focuses on the biologic sciences of molecular biology and immunology, the physical science of biomechanics, and the social sciences of cost-effectiveness, health status measurement, and biostatistics.
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