Research | Geriatrics Center
Support to enhance aging
The Michigan Medicine Geriatrics Center and Institute of Gerontology receive more grant support from the National Institute on Aging than any other institution in the country.
Drawing on the strength and breadth of our faculty expertise, the Geriatrics Center and Institute of Gerontology support research in a broad range of areas related to aging. Research is being conducted across many disciplines in basic biomedical science, translational and clinical research, behavior and social studies, and health services delivery.
These investigations share a common goal of enhancing the independence of older adults by improving the understanding of the aging process and related health outcomes. To this end, research programs at the Geriatrics Center and the Institute of Gerontology focus on key programmatic areas.
Research Areas
Basic research studies are conducted at the cellular and molecular level by a team of approximately 70 faculty members, technicians, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students. Their work examines the effects of aging on cell function, molecular pathways, and late-life diseases in human and animal model systems.
The Biomechanics Research Laboratory and Mobility Research Center study performance, mobility assessment, bladder and pelvic muscle coordination, and other aspects of biomechanical and musculoskeletal function, and provide quantitative biomechanical assessment to define positive outcomes in quantitative terms.
A large body of work is being conducted by Institute of Gerontology faculty to better understand the risk factors and outcomes of diseases and conditions that affect older adults. Data from large population-based studies (such as the NIA-funded Health and Retirement Study and administrative datasets (such as Medicare and Medicaid) are being used for these studies.
The goal of these studies is to identify factors that might reduce the risk for chronic diseases and geriatric conditions in older adults, and improve the delivery, affordability, and quality of long-term care in both home-based and institutional settings. Researchers are working to assess care delivery in older populations to develop model approaches for delivering the most cost-effective care to the growing number of older adults.
Translational research links basic and clinical investigations on aging and common health problems of older adults. Faculty are engaged in laboratory and clinical studies of a number of aging related diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, congestive heart failure, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurologic disorders. Research is also being conducted on a variety of age-related conditions including frailty, infections, and multiple chronic conditions to develop new approaches and therapies for treatment.
Learn more about Translational Research at the Mody lab website
Institute of Gerontology
In 1965, the State of Michigan took a landmark step in advancing gerontology as a field of inquiry in the United States by creating the nation's first state-funded center on aging at the University of Michigan. The Institute of Gerontology (IoG) grew into a premier center for aging research and remains at the forefront of the field.
Today, the Institute of Gerontology, led by Raymond Yung, MB, ChB, is one of the oldest and most highly regarded academic programs of its kind. Operating as the research arm of the U-M Geriatrics Center, the IoG is a major resource in studying the aging process and is home to world-class faculty.
Because of the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research of the IoG, faculty members are drawn from many areas throughout the University and the Medical School. In addition to IoG core faculty, many associated faculty participate as members of the IoG, conducting cutting-edge research to advance the field of aging.
The IoG and the University of Michigan continue to lead the way in attracting and maintaining federal research dollars. The IoG has a remarkably broad range of intellectual interests, is home to two National Institutes of Aging-funded center grants, and its faculty's research productivity is second to none. In the future, as in the past, innovation will be the benchmark of the University of Michigan record in gerontology.
RESEARCH EDUCATION CORE (REC) AWARDEES
Longhua Guo
Regeneration/rejuvenation in planarians/mice liver
James Buszkiewicz
Occupational segregation on cardiometabolic health
Ana Montoya
Long stay nursing home transfer effects
Safa Beydoun
Mianserin supplementation on aging in mice/role of intestinal Fmo5 in longevity regulation
Haylie Miller
Visuomotor Integration as a Predictor of Mobility and Fall Risk in Autistic Older Adults
Aleda Leis
Advance understanding of the metabolic causes and effects of cardiometabolic disease, with and without obesity, and the implications for primary prevention and disease management in older adults
Longhua Guo
Regeneration/rejuvenation in planarians/mice liver
James Buszkiewicz
Occupational segregation on cardiometabolic health
Ana Montoya
Long stay nursing home transfer effects
Victoria Powell
Recruiting Older Adult Research Participants: Considerations, Sources, and Methods
Joseph Endicott
Metabolic reprogramming by chaperone-mediated autophagy downstream of the lifespan-extending PTEN transgene
David Flood
Cross-national comparisons of disability among older adults with diabetes in 23 countries
Haylie Miller
Visuomotor Integration as a Predictor of Mobility and Fall Risk in Autistic Older Adults
Aleda Leis
Advance understanding of the metabolic causes and effects of cardiometabolic disease, with and without obesity, and the implications for primary prevention and disease management in older adults
Michael Smith
Understand medication use in older adult cancer survivors with centralized pain, focusing on practice patterns
Matthew Planko
Evaluating the impact of immunosenescence and inflammaging on vaccine-induced immunity in older adults with plasma cell neoplasms
Victoria Powell
Recruiting Older Adult Research Participants: Considerations, Sources, and Methods
David Flood
Cross-national comparisons of disability among older adults with diabetes in 23 countries
Emily Briceno-Abreu
Measurement of cognition across language and education among Mexican American and non-Hispanic white older adults
Jaclynn Hawkins
Social Work
Michael Smith
Understand medication use in older adult cancer survivors with centralized pain, focusing on practice patterns
Matthew Planko
Evaluating the impact of immunosenescence and inflammaging on vaccine-induced immunity in older adults with plasma cell neoplasms
Joseph Endicott
Metabolic reprogramming by chaperone-mediated autophagy downstream of the lifespan-extending PTEN transgene
Pilot and Exploratory Studies Core (PESC) Awardees
Meng Wang
Investigating the Role of Cellular Senescence in HFpEF Pathophysiology
Payton Schmidt
Phenotyping Urinary Incontinence using Novel Diagnostic Methods
Christopher Ting
Transitional Epithelial Regulation of Macrophage Metabolism and Differentiation in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Richard Albertson
Temporal Role of Inflammation in Huntington Disease
Ana Montoya
Hospitalization and death after nursing home-to-nursing home transfer
Katrina Ellis
Family Synergy in Cancer Survivorship
Safa Beydoun
Mianserin Supplementation and Longevity Regulation in Mice
Brian Harry
Inflammatory Status of Tissue Resident Macrophages in Slow-aging Mice
Tanav Popli
Speech/Language Impairments in Non-Aphasic Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) Syndromes: Potential Markers of Underlying Pathology and Clinical Progression
Viktoryia Kalesnikava
Examining the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias on mental health and suicide risk of older adults and their families
Rishi Chanderraj
The gut microbiome as a mediator of age-related changes in fever response in sepsis
Haylie Miller
Visuomotor Integration as a Predictor of Mobility and Fall Risk in Autistic Older Adults
Katie Duchowny
Exploring the Relationship between the Social Determinants of Health and Systemic Markers of Mitochondrial Bioenergetics
Tongtong Li
Detection and Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Seniors with Memory Complaints
Steven Horbal
Assessing CT-based Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults
Samara Rifkin
C. difficile infection and colorectal cancer in older individuals: a case cohort study
David Flood
Cross-national comparisons of disability among older adults with diabetes in 23 countries
Joseph Endicott
Metabolic reprogramming by chaperone-mediated autophagy downstream of the lifespan-extending PTEN transgene
Scott Maynard
Mechanisms of Tumor Resistance in Slow-Aging Mice
Michael Smith
Intersection of Insomnia and Centralized Pain in Older Adults: Effects on Medication Use
Shen Dewar
Evaluation of Patient Coach Support for Older Adults with Obesity
Vincent Young
(RAPID PILOT) Establishment of aged microbiota in germ free mice.
Grace Noppert
Viral Infection Burden and Immunosenescence
Anna Mathew
Aging and tryptophan immune metabolism in CKD associated cardiovascular disease
Alexandra Norcott
Supporting older adults with cognitive impairment before elective surgery; Developing a measure of preoperative preparedness of patient-caregiver dyads
Gideon Rothschild
The Neural Mechanisms Linking Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline in Aging
Luyun Chen
Age-specific biomechanical model of pelvic floor support
Natalie Tronson
Inflammation and the risk for cognitive decline and dementia after COVID-19
