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September 2023 Director’s Status Report

Click on the links below to view sections of the September 2023 Director’s Status Report:

Budget and Appropriations

Status of FY 2024 Budget

President’s Budget

  • On July 27, 2023, the full Senate Appropriations committee advanced its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor-HHS appropriations bill out of committee. If enacted, the bill would provide $49.2 billion for NIH, an increase of more than $900 million over the FY 2023 enacted level. The bill also includes a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRD) research, with $10,000,000 of the increase for NINDS and the remaining $90,000,000 for NIA. In total, the bill would provide $4.51 billion for NIA, an increase of approximately $100 million over the FY 2023 enacted level, inclusive of the AD/ADRD funding previously noted. This increase also includes $12.5 million for palliative care research. The bill now proceeds to the Senate floor for consideration.
  • On July 14, 2023, the House Appropriations Labor-HHS subcommittee advanced its FY 2024 appropriations bill out of committee by voice vote. If enacted, the bill would provide $43 billion for NIH, a decrease of $3.8 billion from the current FY 2023 enacted level. The bill would provide essentially flat funding for NIA. The bill still needs to be considered by the full House Appropriations committee.

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Legislative Update

Legislation of Interest

  • On July 19, 2023, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) reintroduced H.R. 4752, the Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act. If enacted, the bill would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify cognitive impairment detection tools to help clinicians detect, refer, and diagnose AD/ADRD in their earliest stages. A Senate companion, S.2379, was introduced on the same day by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
  • On July 11, 2023, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) reintroduced S.2243, the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act. If enacted, the bill would expand and intensify NIH research programs in palliative care and expand NIH-wide research reporting to include palliative care, among other provisions.
  • On June 15, 2023, the Senate HELP Committee advanced S. 133, the NAPA Reauthorization Act, out of committee. If enacted, the bill would reauthorize the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) through 2035 and make other updates to the legislation. The HELP Committee also advanced S. 134, the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act, which would extend through 2035 a requirement that NIH submit an annual professional judgment budget to Congress estimating the funding necessary to fully implement NAPA’s research goals. Both bills now proceed to the Senate floor for consideration. House companions for both bills (H.R. 619 and H.R. 620, respectively) have been referred to the relevant committees but no action has been taken yet.

Hearings, Visits, and Other Topics of Interest

House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Staff Meeting — Aug. 16, 2023

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes, NIA Deputy Director Dr. Amy Kelley, and several NIA subject matter experts met with the majority and minority health staff of the House and Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations subcommittees to discuss recent advancements in AD/ADRD research.

Briefing on Menopause Research for the Staff of Rep. Blunt Rochester (D-DE) — July 7, 2023

On Friday, July 7, 2023, Dr. Chhanda Dutta, chief of the Clinical Gerontology Branch in the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, and Dr. Sarah Temkin of the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, briefed the staff of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) on menopause research.

Congressional Staff Briefing on Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Development — June 8, 2023

On Thursday, June 8, 2023, Dr. Nandini Arunkumar, a program officer in the Division of Neuroscience, participated in a panel discussion focused on biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the importance of public-private collaboration to accelerate therapeutic development at a congressional staff briefing sponsored by Florida International University. Arunkumar primarily shared information about NIA’s Accelerated Medicines Partnership Program for Alzheimer’s Disease (AMP® AD) and lessons learned from this pre-competitive partnership.

Congressional Staff Briefing on Alzheimer’s Diagnostics — May 12, 2023

On Friday, May 12, 2023, Dr. Eliezer Masliah, director of the Division of Neuroscience, participated in a congressional staff briefing on Alzheimer’s diagnostics. The event was hosted by Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Greg Murphy (R-NC).

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General Information

Staff Changes

Negin Atri, DrPH, joined the Office of Clinical Research (OCR) as a regulatory and safety officer in the Regulatory, Safety, and Policy Branch. She oversees and coordinates the development and implementation of policies, guidelines, and strategies to enhance participant safety and data integrity in NIA-funded clinical research. Atri oversees Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) policies, procedures, and tools, including the development of the new DSMB component of the Clinical Research Operations and Management System. Prior to joining NIA, Atri worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Her previous experience includes serving as a clinical research associate, and in safety and data oversight and clinical quality management.

Michael Bennani, Ph.D., joined the Population Studies and Genetics Branch in the Division of Neuroscience (DN) as a program director. Bennani has longstanding interests in genetics, genomics, epigenetics, chromatin biology, medicinal chemistry, and cancer, and served in research, faculty, and leadership positions at several research institutions including the Cancer Epigenetics Society, St. Louis University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Besides research, Bennani contributed to the scientific community by serving on several committees, boards, and councils, including the Royal Society of Medicine (United Kingdom); Union for International Cancer Control CEOs Program (Switzerland); European Cooperation in Science and Technology (European Union); International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (international); Canadian Epigenetics, Environment, and Health Research Consortium (Canada); and Pistoia Alliance (United States). He also served as editor for the journals Cancer Informatics and Cancer Control.

Greg Bissonette, Ph.D., left NIA’s Scientific Review Branch (SRB) to join the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) as its review chief. Bissonette spent over seven years at NIA as a scientific review officer (SRO), learning the details of NIH’s peer review process, contributing to unique projects such as RADx-UP, and representing NIA on a number of NIH-wide, peer-review-related working groups. We are sad to see him go but look forward to working with him in his new capacity.

David Braudt, Ph.D., joined the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) as a social and behavioral science administrator in the Population and Social Processes (PSP) Branch. Prior to joining NIA, Braudt’s research integrated biological, behavioral, social, and environmental data to better understand the processes linking social and environmental exposures, as well as their biological consequences, to later life outcomes. Additionally, Braudt has expertise in various quantitative methodologies, with a particular interest in structural equation modeling with latent variables. They received their Ph.D. from the sociology department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, while concurrently completing predoctoral training at the Carolina Population Center and working as a research assistant for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Braudt also completed an NIA-T32 postdoctoral fellowship in biodemography and population genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder prior to taking a position as a research scientist at the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute. At NIA, Braudt’s portfolio includes research at the intersection of biodemography, sociology, and population genetics.

Shanna Breil, M.P.H., joined BSR as a social science analyst within the PSP branch. Before coming to NIA, Breil was a communications manager at Frederick National Lab supporting the National Cancer Institute-Department of Energy Collaboration. She previously worked for NIA as a contractor through Rose Li & Associates, serving the BSR Office of Data Resources and Analytics and PSP. Breil received her M.P.H. in social and behavioral science from the University of Florida and her bachelor of arts from McGill University.

Catasha Davis, Ph.D., joined OCR as a recruitment outreach specialist in the Clinical Operations and Support Branch. Davis coordinates the development and implementation of strategies to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in NIA-funded clinical research. Prior to joining OCR, Davis worked at Parenthetic, LLC, a research and analysis company focused on government communications. Davis previously worked in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors conducting health and communication research and analysis.

Roberto Flores-Munguia, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H., joined the Division of Aging Biology (DAB), Aging Physiology Branch, as the program director of age-related changes in the microbiome and virome. Additionally, he will serve as the NIA contact for the NIH Common Fund Human Virome Program. Flores-Munguia came to NIA from the Office of Nutrition Research (ONR) in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director, where, among other responsibilities, he worked as coordinator for the implementation efforts for the 2020-2030 Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research. Prior to joining ONR, Flores-Munguia worked as a program officer in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 2013 to 2020, managing a portfolio focused on nutrition research, obesity as cancer risk, and effects of pre- and probiotics and human microbiome-host interactions in the context of cancer prevention. Flores-Munguia holds a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University, a master of science in nutritional biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences/cancer biology from the University of Arizona, where he studied the effect of nutritional status and other lifestyle factors on HPV viral load. He trained as postdoctoral cancer prevention fellow at NCI, managing multiple NIH intramural funded projects of human microbiome research. He is currently pursuing a master of health sciences degree in clinical research from Duke University. Flores-Munguia’s areas of expertise include human microbiome and nutrition research, infectious disease epidemiology, bioassay development and validation, molecular screening of viral infections, next generation sequencing technologies, and cancer prevention and control.

Ramona Gianina Dumitrescu, Ph.D., M.P.H., joined the SRB as chief of the Clinical Sciences Section. She holds a Ph.D. in genetics and tumor biology from a dual program at Babes-Bolyai University and Georgetown University as well as a master of public health from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her graduate work focused on studying the early epigenetic changes associated with breast cancer risk as well as ethical aspects of genetic screening. Dumitrescu was associate professor and course director for genetics and epidemiology courses at Saba University School of Medicine. She has published numerous articles and reviews and co-edited two scientific books, Cancer Epigenetics (2012) and Cancer Epigenetics for Precision Medicine (2018), published by the Springer/Nature Publishing Company. In addition, Dumitrescu implemented numerous public health programs in collaboration with several NGOs and government organizations in the U.S. and internationally. In 2017, Dumitrescu joined the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) where she was the SRO for several study sections, including the Cancer and Hematological Disorders study section and the Neurological, Mental, and Behavioral Health study section, as well as the Epidemiology and Population Health fellowships. She was also involved in the review of several CSR Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs) as well as trans-NIH initiatives. Dumitrescu’s expertise is in epigenetics, focusing on the link between genetics and environment and how this relationship can influence or modify cancer risk, Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and other chronic disease outcomes associated with aging.

Caitlin Groeber Travis, Ph.D., joined DN as a scientific program specialist for the Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, and an M.A in biopsychology from George Mason University and a B.S. in biochemistry and psychology from Virginia Tech. Her graduate research focused on neurobehavioral and neuropathological effects of metals (iron, copper, zinc) and gender in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s. Her postdoctoral research was at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). Travis’s primary work focused on investigating the capabilities of novel pharmaceutical compounds, in preclinical models, to treat and mitigate the effects of stress disorders and PTSD. She was also a WRAIR Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellow, studying neuroprotection combination drug therapy for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats with a goal to develop treatments to reduce mortality and morbidity resulting from TBI occurring in the military operational environment. Most recently, she was a protocol and regulatory affairs manager for the human clinical trial portfolios of multiple research teams at NCI.

Madlene Hamilton, Ph.D., M.A., joined the Office of Special Populations in the NIA Office of the Director as a social and behavioral scientist. Hamilton is a social scientist who specializes in health, education, and population studies. Her scientific expertise reflects formal education in advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods, data strategy and analytics, policy analysis in both domestic and international contexts, and application of the life course approach to social science interventions. Hamilton served as a Fulbright scholar hosted by the Institute for Population and Development Studies in the Faculty of Economic and Development Studies at the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College. Prior to joining NIA, Hamilton managed a data science project for Harvard Law School. Hamilton holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy with a focus on demography from the University of Texas, Austin and was supported by an F31 at the UT Population Research Center. She also holds a master of arts in education policy studies degree from George Washington University and a bachelor of science degree in human development and family sciences (formerly named child development and family sciences) from the University of Texas, Austin.

Yi-Han Hu, Ph.D., joined the Intramural Research Program (IRP) as a research fellow (visiting program) in the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Science.

Erin Harrell, Ph.D., joined BSR as a program official in the Individual Behavioral Processes Branch (IBP). Harrell is managing the Applied Cognition portfolio, which includes research related to the effects of aging and cognitive decline on functions such as driving, negotiating challenges associated with aging-in-place, and interacting with the built environment. Prior to joining NIA, Harrell served as SRO at CSR in the Clinical Care and Health Interventions Branch and led SEPs involving fellowships in population science and epidemiology. Prior to joining CSR, she was an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, where she directed the Healthy Aging Across the Lifespan Using Optimization lab. Positioned at the intersection of human factors, changes in cognition, patient outcomes, and intervention development, Harrell’s scientific work focused on understanding ways that technology can facilitate the aging process by investigating adherence and adoption of technology. Harrell earned her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Florida State University. She was a McKnight doctoral fellow and participant in the Department of Homeland Security’s HS-STEM Summer Internship Program. Her research was supported, in part, by funding from NIA through an R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award.

Janelle Isley joined the IRP as a program support clerk in the Office of the Scientific Director.

Maria Soleadad Ivaldi, Ph.D., joined DN as a health program specialist in the Clinical Intervention and Diagnostic Branch. Prior to joining NIA, Ivaldi was a scientist at NCI, where she focused on the characterization of telomere homeostasis in mouse embryonic stem cells. Also, she acted as a liaison to support generation of standard operation procedures and necessary administrative functions, including report evaluations and manuscript submissions. Ivaldi completed her B.S. and M.S. in biology at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and obtained her Ph.D. in molecular biology from a joint program between the biochemistry department of the same institution and the biology department of Johns Hopkins University. Her thesis research in Dr. Victor Corces’ lab focused on the epigenetic mechanisms involved in gene expression regulation in Drosophila melanogaster. For her postdoctoral research, she joined Dr. Ann Dean’s laboratory at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Her postdoctoral work focused on the study of the long non-coding RNA BGLT3 as a key factor in the expression regulation of the gamma-globin gene and as a potential therapeutic treatment of human blood disorders such as β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Ivaldi’s research projects produced peer-reviewed manuscripts for high-impact journals such as Genes & Development and Blood.

Tong Li, Ph.D., joined DN as a program director in the Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch. He is responsible for administering research programs focused on mechanisms of amyloid precursor protein processing and the cellular and molecular physiology of beta-amyloid and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 in the context of AD/ADRD. Prior to joining NIA, he was a faculty member in the department of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research focused on understanding the disease mechanism and testing therapeutic strategies for AD/ADRD. He investigated the clinical benefits and risks of the reduction of gamma-secretase in mouse models. He also established inducible mouse models of AD-like tauopathy and studied the mechanism of tau pathogenesis and pathology-related microglial activation. He earned his BA in biochemistry from Jilin University and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He conducted postdoctoral research at Yale University.

Janetta Lun, Ph.D., brings broad social and behavioral sciences expertise and managerial experience to the SRB as the Social and Behavioral Sciences Section chief. Lun received her Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Virginia, where she conducted and published research on social and interpersonal influences of stereotyping, prejudice, and cultural psychology. She then did postdoctoral training on cross-cultural psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining NIH, Lun was an AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellow at the U.S. Agency for International Development. She began her career at NIH as a scientific program analyst in the office of the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity. In that role, she worked on several initiatives to diversify the NIH intramural workforce and extramural grant applicant pool. Afterward, she served as the chief of the Data Analytics Branch at the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, where she led efforts in providing NIH workforce demographic analyses for strategic planning and evaluation. In 2020, Lun transferred to CSR, where she acquired her knowledge and honed her skills in NIH peer review as an SRO.

Marianna Molina, M.P.H., joined BSR as a social science analyst in the IBP. Prior to joining BSR, Molina worked for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as an operations and wellness consultant in the IDB Health Services Division, coordinating the IDB’s employee wellness programs. Most recently, she worked for Johns Hopkins HealthCare as a health educator within the Care Management Department. Molina’s academic training consists of a B.S. in community health from the University of Maryland, College Park and an M.P.H. in behavioral and community health from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Ann Namkung, M.P.H., joined DAB as the program director of HIV and Aging Research. In this position, she will oversee and coordinate program activities related to HIV and aging research across the four scientific divisions at NIA. Namkung came to NIA from the Division of AIDS, NIAID, where she was the associate director of the Basic Sciences Program. She was also the NIAID coordinator for the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative, where she worked in partnership across NIH and with other federal agencies. Before these positions, she was the team lead of the Centers for AIDS Research Program and was a program officer for 17 years. Namkung earned her master of public health in epidemiology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She is pursuing a doctor in public health leadership (DrPH) at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Katherine Ochoa joined the IRP as a program specialist in the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD).

Evelyn Perez joined the IRP as a biologist in the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience.

Daniel Ramos joined the IRP as a biologist in CARD.

Dory Sullivan, M.P.H., joined BSR as a program analyst in the Office of the Director. She was promoted in July 2023 as a full-time employee after working as a part-time Pathways student intern since November 2022. She recently earned her M.P.H. at the George Washington University’s Milken School of Public Health and will be supporting BSR administrative processes, including workshops and NASEM task order contracts, and will be handling a variety of reporting requirements. Prior to joining BSR, Sullivan received her B.S. in behavioral and community health from the University of Maryland and was an intern with NIA’s Office of Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation.

Rami Traurig joined the IRP as a biologist in CARD.

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Institute-Sponsored Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences

Past Meetings

Aging and Heterogeneity Mini Symposium — May 30, 2023 — Virtual

The objective of this IRP-hosted workshop was to bring together experts in the field to assess heterogeneity as it relates to aging and what is known and what needs to be done to advance this area of research. For more information, contact Sarah Lewis (667-205-2604 and/or sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

NASEM Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences (BBCSS) Spring Meeting: Seminar on Expectations in Aging — May 31, 2023 — Virtual and Washington, D.C.

NIA and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Social Sciences (BBCSS) jointly hosted this hybrid seminar. Meeting participants discussed several approaches to addressing negative expectations on aging as one pathway to improving health outcomes in individuals and communities. Five presentations explored various research methodologies and study designs involving negative expectations of aging, including the differences between studying individuals and groups, the influence of stereotypes, the role of education in changing behavior, how individuals recover from stressful life events, and age discrimination in the workplace. This meeting was sponsored by NIA/BSR with NASEM BBCSS. For more information, contact Janine Simmons (simmonsj@mail.nih.gov) and Allie Walker (allie.walker@nih.gov).

2023 Pain Consortium Symposium on Advances in Pain Research: Resilience and Pathways to Recovery — June 6-7, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

NIA served as a co-chairing lead IC in the planning and implementation of the 2023 Pain Consortium Symposium on Advances in Pain Research: Resilience and Pathways to Recovery. This two-day hybrid symposium highlighted NIH-funded research in the pain field with a focus on understudied populations, physiological mechanisms of resilience and recovery, and advances in biopsychosocial interventions, therapeutics development, and other approaches for pain management and resolution. Resilience is a dynamic and multidimensional concept that includes the ability to resist, adapt, recover, or grow from a challenge. Relying on a whole-person biopsychosocial model of health, the capacity to adapt and recover from a painful injury, disease, or condition is a function not only of an individual’s social support, and emotional and behavioral flexibility, but also of the ability for physiological systems to adapt or compensate to regain function and resolve pain. The agenda can be found here: www.painconsortium.nih.gov/2023-nih-pain-consortium-symposium-advances-pain-research. This event was cosponsored by NIA. For more information, contact Melissa Ghim (melissa.ghim@nih.gov) and Devon Oskvig (devon.oskvig@nih.gov).

Oral Health and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias — June 13-14, 2023 — Virtual

DN’s Population Studies and Genetics Branch and Neurobiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration Branch hosted a virtual workshop on Oral Health and AD/ADRD. Recent research has suggested an association between AD and oral health, and several studies have found oral disease to be a risk factor for AD/ADRD. However, the mechanisms underlying such associations have remained unclear. Understanding the relationship between AD/ADRD and oral health and diseases may offer novel approaches for the prevention or delay of AD/ADRD and possible opportunities to repurpose existing preventive treatments for oral diseases for AD/ADRD. The goal of this two-day workshop was to highlight current research in this area; identify research gaps, opportunities, and challenges; inform scientific priorities; and determine possible future directions for research in this area. The workshop was attended by over 300 investigators from different countries and covered several areas, including overview of oral health among older populations; epidemiology of oral health and AD/ADRD; biology, mechanisms, oral microbiome and AD/ADRD; and global perspectives on oral health and AD/ADRD. The workshop ended with interactive breakout sessions that facilitated small group discussions around four questions designed to identify gaps, opportunities, scientific priorities, and future directions for the field. For more information, contact Maryam Ghaleh (maryam.ghaleh@nih.gov), Dallas Anderson (andersda@nia.nih.gov), Damali Martin (martinda@mail.nih.gov), Camille Pottinger (pottingerca@mail.nih.gov), Mack Mackiewicz (miroslaw.mackiewicz@nih.gov), and Maja Maric (maricm@mail.nih.gov).

The Effects of the Environment and Climate Change on the Physical and Cognitive Function of Older Persons — June 16, 2023 — Virtual

The objective of this workshop was to discuss critical scientific and methodologic issues that can be developed into a research agenda for the IRP and wider scientific community. Of particular interest was the effects of the environment on the intersections among the complex set of biologic, behavioral, and social factors that may impact clinical diseases such as dementia and underlying process such as senescence. For more information, contact Sarah Lewis (667-205-2604 and/or sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

NIH AD/ADRD Platforms Workshop: Fairness Within and Across Data Infrastructures — June 20-21, 2023 — Virtual

This workshop convened major NIA-supported AD/ADRD data infrastructures along with data ecosystems from across NIH to explore opportunities and challenges for nurturing data ecosystems that promote findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data principles within and across constituent platforms and that support open and inclusive data access and compute resources by researchers and other stakeholders. Sessions explored (i) how biomedical data ecosystems ensure effective discovery and use of data and analytical resources; (ii) the technical, social, and policy solutions that enable such practices; and (iii) the ongoing challenges and opportunities to increase the impact of valuable data resources. The workshop concluded with reports from breakout groups that focused on specific topics: data access and security; data linkage and harmonization; data ecosystem architectures; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in an AD/ADRD ecosystem; and data analysis. For more information, contact Jennie Larkin (Jennie.Larkin@nih.gov), Caroline Sferrazza (caroline.sferrazza@nih.gov), Sharna Tingle (sharna.tingle@nih.gov), Mette Peters (mette.peters@nih.gov), and Karyn Onyeneho (karyn.onyeneho@nih.gov).

Data Management and Sharing: New NIH Policies and How They Can Benefit Your Aging-Related Research — June 21, 2023 — Virtual

The goals of this webinar were to: provide an overview of the new data management and sharing policy and why it is important; discuss how quality data management promotes rigor, reproducibility, and trustworthiness of science; provide an overview of a survey that assessed data and code sharing practices in research funded by the Nathan Shock Centers; outline pros and cons of depositing data into large repositories; share insights on how researchers can comply with the new NIH data sharing policy; and address common questions and concerns related to data management and sharing. Presentations were followed by a Q&A with the audience. Participants also submitted questions in advance. To support researchers who are applying for or have been awarded NIA funding, the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center collaborated with NIA and NIH staff to provide this informational webinar. For more information, contact Christy Carter (301-555-1234 and/or christy.carter@nih.gov).

The Seventeenth Annual Division of Aging Biology New Investigators Forum (DABNIF) — June 27-28, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

The DAB New Investigators Forum (DABNIF) is a long-standing yearly event. It brings together new DAB awardees in the spring of the year following their award to meet and interact with NIA program and review staff as well as to network with one another. DABNIF provides the participating PIs an opportunity to get to know DAB and DEA staff in person, learn about the review and grant administration and what NIA-specific grant mechanisms are available, and network with colleagues at a similar stage of their career. To this end, each PI presented a poster describing the planned research (or results to date) and gave an “elevator speech” short talk where they introduced themselves and briefly talked about their research interests and career goals. In addition to these activities, the forum’s agenda included a keynote presentation by an expert in the area of aging; talks by DAB staff and NIA leadership on issues such as scope of the science supported by DAB, funding mechanisms, use of the Guide, navigating the NIA website, and scientific review; and in-depth discussions on writing successful grant applications. Opportunities were provided throughout the NIA-sponsored program to support researchers who are new investigators to the aging field. For more information, contact Manuel Moro (301-496-6402 and/or morom@mail.nih.gov).

2023 Trans-NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group Meeting — June 28, 2023 — Virtual

The NIA Office of the Director and DN hosted the 2023 Trans-NIH AD/ADRD Working Group meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to provide an update on the status of AD/ADRD research funded by NIA. Dr. Richard Hodes presented on the AD research funding and collaborations across NIH institutes, and Drs. Walter Koroshetz and Rod Corriveau from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke presented on the ADRD program. NIA organized and hosted this event, which was attended by representatives from 14 NIH Institutes and Centers. For more information, contact Jean Tiong-Koehler (tiongj@nia.gov).

Transitioning to Academic and Non-Academic Careers in Aging: K Awards — June 29, 2023 — Virtual

NIA Program Officer Dr. Jamie Lahvic described the Career Development (K) awards available from NIA. She focused on two new awards: the REDI K01, which funds career exploration outside of academia, and the K22, which funds transition to a tenure-track faculty position. Lahvic and Dr. Christy Carter provided guidance for connecting with program officers ahead of submission and on writing a successful application as part of a panel discussion and Q&A session. The event was hosted by the Gerontological Society of America Section on Biological Sciences in collaboration with NIA. For more information, contact Christy Carter (301-496-6402 and/or christy.carter@nih.gov).

NIA Research and Entrepreneurial Development Immersion (REDI): Preparing the Next Generation of Aging Innovators — July 10, 2023 — Virtual

An increasing number of early-stage scientists are exploring careers associated with bio-entrepreneurship, science communications, intellectual property, regulatory affairs, science policy, consulting, and more. The NIA REDI program comprises several awards designed to support graduate students and early-career researchers exploring career paths not often emphasized in traditional research training programs. The goals of this webinar were to: give an overview of the NIA REDI program, including how REDI-supported trainees will acquire specialized skills for success in a variety of areas; provide information and insight to prospective applicants; and facilitate a live Q&A with REDI K01 awardee Brianna Stubbs, Ph.D., lead translational scientist at the Buck Institute, and REDI R25 awardee Julie Coleman, Ph.D., director at Celdara Medical. The event was sponsored by the Research Centers Collaborative Network in collaboration with NIA. For more information, contact Christy Carter (301-496-6402 and/or christy.carter@nih.gov).

Sixth Annual NIA-AA Symposium: Enabling Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Open Science — July 13-14, 2023 — Amsterdam, Netherlands

In collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association (AA), NIA DN program staff held the sixth annual NIA-AA Symposium: Enabling Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Open Science. The Symposium was held as an Alzheimer’s Association International Conference pre-conference event and featured presentations from several NIA-supported translational research programs which employ precision medicine principles and open-science practices. This year’s symposium highlighted Accelerating Medicines Partnerships® programs on Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease; MARMO-AD and MODEL-AD translational centers; TREAT-AD translational centers; several clinical cohorts and/or clinical trial studies; and several data repositories, analyses resources, and tools. This was an NIA-hosted event. For more information, contact Suzana Petanceska (petanceskas@nia.nih.gov), Laurie Ryan (ryanl@mail.nih.gov), and Lorenzo Refolo (larry.refolo@nih.gov).

Role of Alcohol Misuse in the Onset and Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease and its Related Dementias — July 26-27, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

The goal of this workshop was to discuss the role of alcohol misuse in the onset and progression of AD/ADRD. This workshop focused on a lifespan perspective of prenatal, adolescent, and late-life alcohol exposure on the development of AD/ADRD. The speakers presented both preclinical and clinical evidence of how chronic heavy alcohol exposure may intersect with pathways of developing AD/ADRD and exacerbate dementias. The workshop, built upon the previous RFA and administrative supplements over the past several years, facilitated identifying research gaps and challenges to advance our understanding of the relationship between alcohol misuse and dementias. The event was cosponsored by NIA and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). For more information, contact Lisa Opanashuk (Lisa.Opanashuk@nih.gov) and Changhai Cui (changhai.cui@nih.gov).

RNA Metabolism in Aging and Longevity — July 26, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

RNA editing, alternative splicing, and RNA modification have all been shown to be involved in the regulation of aging and longevity, although a mechanistic understanding of these phenomena is still largely unknown. This workshop discussed current and future research on RNA metabolism, with a focus on the technologies and the relevance to aging and longevity. The goals of this workshop were to evaluate the status of the field, to define future directions, to evaluate critical needs, and to outline opportunities and priorities to better understand the general mechanisms of aging biology. A forthcoming publication will summarize the content and recommendations from the workshop. This DAB-sponsored workshop was held in a hybrid format with an average of 50 participants virtually connected. For more information, contact Max Guo (Max.Guo@nih.gov and/or 301-402-7747) and Tiziana Cogliati (301-402-2178 and/or Tiziana.cogliati@nih.gov).

28th NIA Summer Poster Day Celebration — Aug. 2, 2023 — Virtual and Baltimore, Maryland

The keynote speaker was Joshua Preston, former summer internship program student (2017) and M.D./Ph.D. student from Emory University School of Medicine, Nutrition and Health Science. He presented a seminar entitled, “How My NIA Internship Changed My Life: 5 Lessons Since Summer 2017.” In addition, a poster session was held to allow students an opportunity to present scientific information and to collaborate with peers and other scientific staff at NIA. For more information, contact Arlene Jackson (410-558-8121 and/or arlene.jackson@nih.gov).

2023 Butler-Williams Scholars Program — Aug. 23-25, 2023 — Virtual

The purpose of the Butler-Williams Scholars Program is to provide a cohort of scientists who meet the program’s criteria with detailed information about the variety of scientific projects underway in aging research. Additional funding opportunities that reflect the scientific mission and priorities of NIA’s intramural program and extramural programs are highlighted. Scholars have an opportunity to network with one another, as well as NIA scientific review and program officials. The program focuses on training and career development. The Butler-Williams Scholars Program was hosted by NIA. For more information, contact Andrea Griffin-Mann (andrea.griffin-mann@nih.gov and/or NIABWSP@mail.nih.gov).

NIH Diversity Supplement Workshop — Aug. 29-30, 2023 — Virtual

The 2023 NIH Diversity Supplement Professional Development and Networking Workshop was held virtually, Aug. 29-30, 2023. The lead ICs planning were the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIGMS, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Maria Carranza (Office of Strategic Extramural Programs) and Patricia Jones (Office of Special Populations) represented NIA on the planning committee. The purpose of the meeting was to bring Diversity Supplement awardees together to meet with program officers and IC leadership to learn more about additional funding and training opportunities in their respective ICs. For more information, contact Maria Carranza (maria.carranza@nih.gov) and Patricia Jones (patricia.jones@nih.gov).

Caenorhabditis Intervention Testing Program (CITP) Grantee Meeting — Aug. 29, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

The purpose of this annual CITP meeting was to discuss progress and accomplishments of the CITP and plans for the current cycle that started in September 2023. This was a one-day, DAB-sponsored, hybrid meeting (with most of the participants in person). The meeting was a forum to introduce the CITP to new DAB staff and to have ample discussion with the PIs who serve in the CITP Steering Committee as external advisors to the program. Among the themes of the workshop were compound selection, inter-laboratory reproducibility, and species selection for genetic heterogeneity. The long-term goals of the CITP were also discussed at this meeting among CITP PIs and NIA staff. For more information, contact Tiziana Cogliati (301-402-2178 and/or Tiziana.cogliati@nih.gov) and Jennifer Fox (301-496-6402 and/or jennifer.fox@nih.gov).

NIH HIV and Aging Research Workshop and Panel Discussion — Sept. 5-6, 2023 — Virtual and Washington, D.C.

The primary objective of the NIA-sponsored research workshop was to identify research gaps and areas/topics for future interdisciplinary research and training to address the needs of people aging with HIV. The goals of the panel discussion were 1) to identify and leverage collaborations among federal agencies, the HIV community, and researchers/clinicians, and 2) to facilitate a framework to prioritize interdisciplinary research and implementation strategies to address the needs of people aging with HIV. For more information, contact Ann Namkung (301-538-8390 and/or ann.namkung@nih.gov).

Synthetic Biology for Aging Research — Sept. 6-7, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

This workshop helped define goals and implementation options for synthetic biology to improve our understanding of aging biology and explored mechanisms to impact aging processes (molecular) and aging outcomes (physiology). Among the topics explored were building synthetic regulatory circuits to: create novel clocks to measure rates of aging, alter hallmarks of aging (globally or with cell-lineage specificity), and accelerate or decelerate rates of aging. Melding tools of synthetic biology with research in biology of aging for the identification and manipulation of gene regulatory and signaling networks underlying aging biology was also discussed. For more information, contact Ronald Kohanski (301-496-6402 and/or kohanskir@mail.nih.gov).

Optimizing Dietary Amino Acid Intake to Improve Human Health and Reduce the Burden of Age-Related Disease — Sept. 7-8, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

The primary aim of the workshop was to bring together experts in the fields of sulfur amino acid restriction, branched-chain amino acid restriction, and ketogenic amino acids supplementation and aging for in-depth discussion on preclinical animal studies, epidemiological studies of human diet and health, and small-scale human clinical trials. While identifying gaps and opportunities to advance these research topics, the workshop explored to what extent such interventions improve healthspan in the context of normal aging. For more information, contact Yih-Woei Fridell (301-496-7847 and/or friedellyc@mail.nih.gov).

NASEM Committee on Population (CPOP) Workshop on Developing an Agenda for Population Aging and Social Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) — Sept. 7-8, 2023 — Virtual and Washington, D.C.

The workshop identified research needs related to the impacts of inequality, environmental exposure, and family changes on the health and well-being of older populations in LMICs, with an emphasis on how existing data resources may be leveraged to address these topics. In addition, participants discussed how country-specific research in LMICs can create a better understanding of how different social environments and public policies influence health outcomes related to aging; and how findings from country-specific LMIC research provide lessons that can be used in other settings, including the United States. Panelists identified new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and/or data investments that are needed to move from purely descriptive cross-national analyses to more causal analyses that create a better understanding of how inequality, environmental exposures, and changing family structures impact health and well-being at older ages in LMICs. BSR sponsored the NASEM CPOP to organize and execute the workshop. For more information, contact Minki Chatterji (Minki.Chatterji@nih.gov) and Charlie Le (Charlie.Le@nih.gov).

NASEM Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) Spring Meeting on Examining the Effect of Interviewers on Longitudinal Survey Response Rates and Approaches to Improve the Hiring and Retention of High-Quality Interviewers — Sept. 11, 2023 — Virtual

This meeting provided an overview of relevant research findings on the impact of interviewers on response rates in longitudinal surveys. In addition, the meeting included discussion of what is known about different approaches to enhance interviewer skills and training to create a more professional corps of interviewers. Meeting participants included experts who do research in this domain and/or manage field interviewing workforces to discuss their research and best practices and the potential implications for NIA longitudinal studies. This half-day expert meeting was sponsored by BSR in coordination with CNSTAT staff. For more information, contact John Phillips (john.phillips@nih.gov), Charlie Le (charlie.le@nih.gov), and Kaitlyn Lee (kaitlyn.lee@nih.gov).

Second Investigators’ Meeting of NIA’s Psych-Ad Program — Sept. 11-12, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

The main focus of this two-day, NIA-sponsored investigators’ meeting was to highlight current advances made toward understanding the molecular mechanisms driving the emergence and progression of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in AD/ADRD, including the discovery and validation of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers that can be advanced for the development of effective precision medicine treatments. The meeting convened the leading investigators supported through NIA’s Psych-AD program, investigators leading drug trials for the treatment and prevention of NPS in AD/ADRD, as well as investigators leading key data infrastructure programs and translational centers (such as the AD Knowledge Portal, the Alzheimer’s Gut Microbiome Project, and the MODEL-AD and MARMO-AD Centers). This was an NIA-sponsored event. For more information, contact Jennifer Isaacs (jennifer.isaacs@nih.gov) and Erika Tarver (erika.tarver@nih.gov).

Understanding Cerebellar Contributions to Cognitive and Affective Functions in Aging and AD/ADRD — Sept. 12-13, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

While the cerebellum has traditionally been associated with motor functions, a growing body of work has identified a contributing role for the cerebellum in several cognitive and affective functions. Despite known changes in aging with respect to both cognition and motor performance, most aging work up to this point has focused on cerebral cortex changes. The limited work that has been done on the aging cerebellum has indicated reductions in cerebellar volume and changes in connectivity in both healthy aging as well as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. However, several important questions remain unanswered, such as the contributions of the cerebellum to observed neurobiology and symptoms of AD/ADRD, including changes in affect, and whether the cerebellum may play a role in the development or maintenance of cognitive reserve. This NIA-sponsored, one-and-a-half-day, in-person workshop convened leaders in the field of cerebellar research and featured a series of presentations and discussions around the following topics as they pertain to aging and AD/ADRD as well as non-motor cerebellar functions more broadly: (1) contributions of the cerebellum to cognitive functions in the context of healthy aging, neurodegenerative disorders like AD/ADRD, and neuropsychiatric disorders that emerge in adulthood or later in life; (2) role of the cerebellum in development or maintenance of cognitive reserve; (3) contributions of the cerebellum to affective and social functions; and (4) evidence for non-motor functions of the cerebellum derived from clinical studies as well as work in animal models. A workshop summary is being generated and will be posted to the NIA website. This was an NIA-supported event. For more information, contact Matt Sutterer (matt.sutterer@nih.gov) and Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke (coryse.sthillaire-clarke@nih.gov).

NIA/NIDA Special Lecture Series — Sept. 13, 2023 — Virtual and Baltimore, Maryland

The lecture featured a keynote address from Neil Seeman, founder and chairman of RIWI, an international data firm. For more information, contact Sarah Lewis (667-205-2604 and/or sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

Third Investigators’ Meeting of NIA’s Resilience Ad Program — Sept. 13-14, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

The main focus of this two-day, NIA-sponsored investigators’ meeting was to learn about advances made toward understanding the molecular determinants of resilience to various types of AD risk and the availability of data resources and research tools necessary to advance mechanistic insights into resilience-based therapeutics. The participants also discussed remaining challenges and opportunities for understanding the complex biology of resilience to AD risk as a foundation for enabling a precision medicine approach to disease prevention. In addition to investigators supported through NIA’s Resilience AD program, the meeting convened leading investigators from several complementary NIA-funded initiatives such as the Superagers Network and ApoE2 in Aging and Alzheimer’s initiatives, as well as investigators leading key data infrastructure programs and translational centers (e.g., AD Knowledge Portal, the Exceptional Longevity Data Management Coordinating Center, and MODEL-AD and MARMO-AD Centers). This was an NIA-sponsored event. For more information, contact Jennifer Isaacs (jennifer.isaacs@nih.gov) and Erika Tarver (erika.tarver@nih.gov).

NASEM CPOP Workshop on Aging in Place With Dementia — Sept. 13-15, 2023 — Virtual

This public workshop brought together an interdisciplinary group of experts to discuss aging in place for people living with dementia in the United States. The workshop drew on lessons and evidence from domestic and international research to: 1) identify current research and future research needs on individual‐level, structural, and environmental factors that should be considered in the development of programs supporting aging in place for people living with dementia; 2) discuss research approaches and needs to support aging in place of persons living with dementia (and their caregivers) from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and in different geographic contexts; and 3) discuss components of existing conceptual models and measurements that can inform conceptual approaches for research on aging in place for people living with dementia. BSR sponsored NASEM to organize and execute the workshop. For more information, contact Elena Fazio (elena.fazio@nih.gov), Priscilla Novak (priscilla.novak@nih.gov), Dana Plude (dana.plude@nih.gov), Erin Harrell (erin.harrell@nih.gov), Jessica Boten (jessica.boten@nih.gov), and Nicole Kidwiler (nicole.kidwiler@nih.gov).

Pig Models of Aging and Age-Related Conditions — Sept. 15, 2023 — Virtual

Pigs are similar to humans in anatomical size and structure, immunology, genome, and physiology, making them useful models for translational and clinical research applications. Currently, pigs are being used as biomedical models for a wide variety of systems/conditions/diseases such as metabolic syndrome, microbiome, diabetes, wound healing, muscular dystrophies, joint replacement, lung/bone/breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, cystic fibrosis, influenza, vaccine design, periodontitis, glaucoma, xenotransplantation, radiation effects, etc. The goal of this meeting was to discuss the potential use of pigs as models for human aging and aging-related conditions/diseases, and to identify specific areas of aging research that could be enhanced through pig models. Participants also discussed the potential generation of pig aging models using genome editing. For more information, contact Manuel Moro (301-496-6402 and/or morom@mail.nih.gov).

Future Meetings

Impacts of Extreme Weather Conditions and Environmental Exposures on Older Adult Health — Fall 2023 — Virtual

This virtual, two-day workshop will formulate a comprehensive research agenda for studying the impacts of climate change and extreme weather on older adult health and well-being by identifying future research directions and data infrastructure enhancements to NIA-supported studies. The workshop sessions will focus on three priority topic areas: (1) short- and long-term health impacts of climate change and extreme weather on midlife and older adult health and well-being, (2) climate-related vulnerabilities associated with inequities in mid- and later-life health and well-being, and (3) protection, adaptation, and mitigation factors to reduce the impacts of climate exposure on older adult health and well-being. This workshop is sponsored by BSR. For more information, contact Emerald Nguyen (emerald.nguyen@nih.gov) and Kait Lee (kaitlyn.lee@nih.gov).

Electronic Health Records (EHR) Interventions and Behavioral Economics Interventions Grantees Meeting — Fall 2023 — Virtual

The three-day EHR Interventions and Behavioral Economics Interventions Grantees Meeting will bring together grantees of NIA’s EHR-based intervention RFAs (RFA-AG-20-045 and RFA-AG-17-013) and low-cost detection of cognitive decline RFAs (RFA-AG-20-050 and RFA-AG-20-051) to showcase grantee progress and discuss future directions using EHR as a platform for conducting clinical trials. This meeting will provide a forum for grantees to present annual updates, discuss barriers and potential solutions to EHR-based interventions, and identify additional opportunities for collaboration and scientific progress. This workshop is sponsored by BSR. For more information, contact Partha Bhattacharyya (partha.bhattacharyya@nih.gov) and Rebecca Krupenevich (rebecca.krupenevich@nih.gov).

What Should and Could Be Measured in Trials of 5-Year CR and TRE Interventions? — Oct. 10-11, 2023 — Virtual

NIA is currently funding two U01 nutritional intervention planning projects to design full-scale, five-year trials to evaluate the long-term effects of caloric restriction (CR) and time restricted eating (TRE) in younger (25 to <50 years) and older (≥ 50 years) adults. The goal of this two-day workshop is to review the state-of-the-art data on nutritional intervention studies in order to support planning and protocol development activities and identify the outcomes to measure at sustained five-year clinical interventions. Thirty 15-minute presentations and panel discussions will be focused on how to handle multiple outcomes and will discuss differing types of tissue validity for differing outcomes. The potential measurements will be discussed in the light of the expected similarities and differences in the effects of CR and TRE on outcomes. This workshop will be supported by DGCG in collaboration with DAB. For more information, contact Irina Sazonova (301-451-5094 and/or irina.sazonova@nih.gov).

Baltimore Fellows Symposium — Oct. 17, 2023 — Virtual and Baltimore, Maryland

The event will feature a talk from Dr. Kafui Dzirasa. Dzirasa is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Departments of Neurobiology and Biomedical Engineering, Center for Neuroengineering at the Duke University Medical Center. For more information, contact Taya Dunn Johnson (667-205-2215 and/or dunnt@grc.nia.nih.gov).

Investigators’ Meeting of the AMP® AD, TREAT-AD, MODEL-AD, MARMO-AD, and Alzheimer’s Drug Development Programs — Oct. 17-18, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

NIA will host a two-day meeting of investigators from the Alzheimer’s Drug Development Programs, the AMP® AD, MODEL-AD, MARMO-AD Consortia, and the TREAT-AD Centers. The focus of this meeting is to learn about advances made toward the identification of potential targets, to discuss lessons from animal model resources, and to discuss the application of this information to the development of potential pharmacologic therapies (novel small molecule and biologic therapies) to slow the progression of AD or treat cognitive and behavioral symptoms. In addition to discussing advances in research, the meeting will include discussions on gaps in research and how to facilitate opportunities for additional collaboration. This is an NIA-sponsored event. For more information, contact Lorenzo Refolo (larry.refolo@nih.gov) and Suzana Petanceska (petanceskas@nia.nih.gov).

Single Cell Proteomics and High-Resolution Biomolecules Imaging Mass Spectrometry in AD/ADRD — Oct. 17-18, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

This NIA Proteomics Grantees Meeting aims to bring together leading researchers and our grantees in the field of proteomics to discuss and explore recent advancements, emerging technologies, and innovative approaches in the study of aging-related proteomic changes and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The meeting will feature lectures and panel discussions, covering a wide range of topics such as proteomic profiling, biomarker discovery, protein-protein interactions, protein folding and aggregation, single-cell proteomics, and advances in imaging mass spectrometry techniques. The meeting will also provide a platform for insightful presentations, interactive discussions, and valuable networking opportunities. This is an NIA-sponsored event. For more information, contact Austin Yang (austin.yang@nih.gov).

Opportunities and Challenges in the Use of Blood-Based Biomarkers in AD/ADRD Clinical Research and Population Studies — Oct. 30-31, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

This NIA-sponsored workshop will host leaders in the field of blood-based biomarkers, specifically those who are developing blood-based ATN biomarker methodology and those non-biomarker investigators interested in applying ATN biomarkers to their studies. Presentations will focus on three major themes: 1) the current status of blood-based AD/ADRD biomarkers and the experiences and perspectives of users; 2) identifying the current state of resources for carrying out blood-based AD/ADRD biomarker measurements (e.g., collaborating laboratories, cores, commercial resources) and gaps in available resources; and 3) disseminating best practices, harmonizing data, and data infrastructures to enable dissemination and harmonization efforts. Other topics to be discussed include analytical and clinical validation of novel blood-based AD/ADRD biomarkers and the process and considerations for the Biomarker Qualification Program and premarketing regulatory approval. This is an NIA-sponsored event. For more information, contact Alessandra C Rovescalli (rovescaa@nih.gov), Yuan Luo (luoy2@mail.nih.gov), and Nada Radoja (nadezda.radoja@nih.gov).

The Future of Population-Based Studies in AD and Related Dementia Research: Setting Future Scientific Priorities — Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

Facing an ongoing and impending demographic transformation, DN will sponsor a two-day, hybrid workshop on the future of population-based studies in AD/ADRD. The objectives will be to: 1) foster the development of research collaborations among investigators involved in the research of population-based AD/ADRD studies, 2) identify and leverage resources available to enhance AD/ADRD population-based research, 3) identify avenues to enhance existing data and supplement the collection of new data for AD/ADRD population-based research, and 4) encourage ongoing discussions regarding the development of scientific priorities focused on informing future precision-based intervention and prevention strategies for AD/ADRD among U.S. populations. This meeting will convene leaders from academia, nonprofit organizations, and program staff from NIA and other ICs from across NIH. For more information, contact Damali Martin (martinda@mail.nih.gov).

The Long-Term Effects of Pregnancy on Aging — Nov. 1, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

The purpose of this workshop is to examine the state of the science on established and possible relationships between pregnancy and aging by summarizing the current state of knowledge and highlighting the major issues and gaps in research on the enduring effects of pregnancy on the health of parous women. This one-day, NIA-sponsored workshop will result in follow-up topics for future workshops and plans for supporting research that will fill identified knowledge gaps. For more information, contact Fei Wang (301-443-8187 and/or fei.wang@nih.gov).

2023 NIA Director’s Regional Meeting — Nov. 28, 2023 — Hybrid and Tulsa, Oklahoma

The purpose of the NIA Director’s Regional Meeting is to provide academic institutions and research laboratories in a particular region of the United States with information about funding and training opportunities available through NIA. The meeting is intended to raise awareness of research training and funding opportunities among schools and laboratories not aware of resources available through NIA to conduct aging research. The meeting features information about intramural and extramural opportunities to advance the Institute’s scientific priorities. The meeting is co-hosted by an academic institution in the region and invitations to participate are extended using their professional and research networks in the surrounding area. NIA co-hosts with several universities in a particular region highlighted for that year. For more information, contact Andrea Griffin-Mann (Andrea.Griffin-Mann@nih.gov).

32nd Annual Nathan W. Shock Award Lecture — Nov. 30, 2023 — Virtual and Baltimore, Maryland

The event will feature a keynote address from Dr. Martin Picard, associate professor of behavioral medicine from Columbia University, Irving Medical Center. The NIA-sponsored Shock Award Lecture aims to honor the legacy of Shock and invites leaders in the aging community to share their work with NIA researchers in an effort to increase collaborations within the field of aging research. For more information, contact Sarah Lewis (667-205-2604 and/or sarah.lewis@nih.gov).

A Workshop on Advancing Data-Driven Approaches for the Development of Combination Therapies That Integrate Pharmacologic and Non-Pharmacologic Interventions — Dec. 4-5, 2023 — Virtual and Bethesda, Maryland

This two-day, hybrid workshop, sponsored by NIA, will convene research leaders to foster discussion around possible combinatorial therapies for AD/ADRD, with a specific focus on pharm/pharm and non-pharm/pharm interventions. The workshop will include discussions on the mechanistic models, intervention designs, clinical trial designs, and regulatory considerations for combination therapy. For more information, contact Nandini Arunkumar (nandini.arunkumar@nih.gov), Akanni Clarke (akanni.clarke@nih.gov), and Kristina McLinden (kristina.mclinden@nih.gov).

Music as Medicine: The Science and Clinical Practice — Dec. 14-15, 2023 — Bethesda, Maryland

This two-day, in-person workshop is being co-organized and cosponsored by NIH, National Endowment for the Arts, Renée Fleming Foundation, and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It builds on the continuing work of the Sound Health Initiative and the initial 2017 NIH Workshop on Music and the Brain and will be co-chaired by Dr. Francis Collins, former NIH director, and Renee Fleming, a renowned American soprano. The workshop will bring together musicians, scientists, clinicians, educators, and other stakeholders in the field to highlight the accomplishments of the Sound Health Initiative in advancing scientific research on music and health in the past six years, develop a blueprint for the next phase of this initiative, and further foster the research community. This is an NIA-supported event. For more information, contact Coryse St. Hillaire-Clarke (coryse.sthillaire-clarke@nih.gov) and Lisa Onken (lisa.onken@nih.gov).

The Role of the Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Geroscience Agenda — January 2024 — Virtual

A geroscience research agenda informed by the behavioral and social sciences will address disparities in the aging process driven by behavioral patterns and social environmental exposures and aid in the identification of interventions with the potential to improve function, healthspan, and reduce morbidity among all population subgroups in our society. The forthcoming workshop will be the second meeting of the series. The first workshop occurred on Oct. 31, 2022, on the topic of Bridging Biological and Social Hallmarks of Aging, focusing on measurement and “functional motifs” of aging. The long-term goal of this workshop series is to identify research gaps and opportunities for an expanded geroscience agenda that incorporates a lifespan developmental perspective, inclusion of behavioral and social drivers of aging processes that account for disparities in the aging process, and valid and reliable assessments of the fundamental processes of biological aging in humans. This meeting is being sponsored jointly by DAB and BSR. For more information, contact Lis Nielsen (Lis.Nielsen@nih.gov), Ron Kohanski (Ron.Kohanski@nih.gov), and Emily Hooker (emily.hooker@nih.gov).

Back to Contents

Content, Media, Outreach, and Meetings

Web Content

Research Highlights

Health Information Articles

Alzheimers.gov Health Information Articles

Inside NIA Blog

Print Publications and PDFs

Media & Outreach

Media

Web Statements and Announcements

Alzheimers.gov News Releases

Outreach

Infographics, Videos, and Graphics

Social Media

Email List Managers

OCPL sent 88 separate messages from April 1 to July 31, 2023, to the following lists:

  • Healthy Aging Highlights: 71,257 subscribers
  • Alzheimers.gov Highlights: 41,281 subscribers
  • Recruitment Resources for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Clinical Trials: 6,437 subscribers
  • Caregiving Tips and Resources: 22,752 subscribers
  • Inside NIA Blog: 21,122 subscribers
  • NIA Funding Opportunities for Researchers: 15,770 subscribers
  • Consejos para el Envejecimiento Saludable (Spanish Healthy Aging Tips): 6,204 subscribers
  • NIA Training and Career Development Updates: 4,975 subscribers

Meetings

Conferences, Exhibits, and Events

Meetings with Stakeholders

  • American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Annual Scientific Meeting, May 4-6, 2023 — Dr. Richard Hodes and Dr. Amy Kelley, along with NIA staff, participated in multiple sessions at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting, including respective symposia for early-career and mid-career researchers. Kelley also presented the Thomas and Catherine Yoshikawa Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation.
  • Advances in Aging, Immunity, and Chronic Inflammatory Disease Workshop, May 9-10, 2023 — Hodes delivered opening remarks for the workshop, which focused on recent advances in our knowledge of immunosenescence, aging, and their impact on chronic disease development. The workshop was hosted by NIA in partnership with NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
  • National Primate Research Center Directors’ Meeting, May 22, 2023 — Hodes, along with other directors of NIH Institutes and Centers, participated in a National Primate Research Center panel discussion.
  • American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), June 8, 2023 — Hodes, Kelley, and other NIA leaders and staff met with ASBMB to discuss NIA budgetary and research updates, as well as training and career development opportunities.
  • NIA Oral Health and Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Workshop, June 13-14, 2023 — Hodes delivered opening remarks for this workshop focused on the relationship between oral health and Alzheimer’s disease.
  • NIH Revitalization Act 30th Anniversary Luncheon, June 13, 2023 — Kelley attended this event in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993. The act established the inclusion of women in NIH-funded clinical trials and research.
  • NIH AD/ADRD Platforms Workshop: FAIRness Within and Across Data Infrastructures, June 20-21, 2023 — Hodes provided a welcome for this workshop on opportunities and challenges for nurturing data ecosystems for AD/ADRD which promote FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data principles and support open and inclusive data access and resources.
  • NIH Tribal Advisory Council Meeting, June 28, 2023 — Hodes, along with NIH Tribal Health Research Office Director Dr. Karina Walters, shared a presentation on the AD/ADRD Real-World Data platform.
  • NIA-VA Partnership Meeting, July 11, 2023 — Hodes and Kelley, along with NIA staff, convened with VA leaders to discuss new and ongoing collaborations, as well as programmatic updates from the two groups.
  • NIA Start-Up Challenge and Accelerator: Fostering Entrepreneurial Diversity, July 25, 2023 — Kelley provided a welcome address and updates from NIA leadership at the 2023 NIA Start-Up Challenge Kick-Off Meeting.
  • NIA-NIAAA Workshop, “Role of Alcohol Misuse in the Onset and Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease and Its Related Dementias,” July 26-27, 2023 — Kelley shared welcoming remarks for this workshop. Sponsored by NIA and NIAAA, the workshop explored the role of alcohol misuse in the onset and progression of AD/ADRD.
  • Milken Institute Advances in Science Webinar Series, Aug. 15, 2023 — Hodes served as the featured speaker in the Milken Institute’s Advances in Science Webinar Series, delivering a presentation on progress in Alzheimer’s disease research over the past decade.
  • Butler-Williams Scholars Program, Aug. 23-24, 2023 — Hodes and Kelley provided presentations to the 2023 cohort of Butler-Williams Scholars.
  • NIH Diversity Supplement Professional Development and Networking Workshop, Aug. 29-30, 2023 — Kelley shared welcoming remarks and an introduction to NIA with workshop participants.
  • Women First Research Coalition (WFRC), Aug. 31, 2023 — Hodes, Kelley, and NIA staff met with WFRC to discuss NIA budgetary and programmatic updates, as well as topics of interest in women’s health research.

Back to Contents

New Notices and Initiatives Relevant to the National Institute on Aging

For “Notices” and “Research Initiatives” with NIA’s participation or interest, please visit these two websites: NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts and How To Find NIA Funding Opportunities.

nia.nih.gov

An official website of the National Institutes of Health