The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), working in part with funds contributed by the John A. Hartford Foundation (http://www.jhartfound.org/ [1]) and The American Federation for Aging Research (http://afar.org/ [2]), are pursuing this initiative to encourage and assist the development of future leaders in the field of aging by supporting clinically trained (primarily physician) faculty members early in their careers to gain additional research training and to establish independent programs in aging research.