For 5 years, the UCLA OAIC Recruitment Core (RC) has provided invaluable assistance to academic investigators seeking to enhance the reach and impact of their funded science by enrolling lower income and minority seniors. Under the leadership of Dr. Mangione, the OAIC RC successfully facilitated recruitment of
lower income and minority senior subjects for 16 different projects. With the RC's track record and the increased national focus on translational research, the OAIC RC has evolved into a highly sought-after resource for fellows and junior faculty members working on their first research projects as well as senior independent investigators unfamiliar with community-based participatory research methods.
In this renewal application we seek to continue the highly successful model of the RC's past 5 years while at the same time extend the level of the Core's collaborations to include not only recruitment but also several other critical components of community-partnered research: project development, participant retention, evaluation, and dissemination. In light of these expanded functions, the Core will be re-named the OAIC Recruitment and Retention Core (RRC). Dr. Sarkisian will assume the role of Core Leader, bringing her expertise as a geriatrician and Director of the recently-established NIA-funded Los Angeles Community Academic Partnership for Research in Aging (L.A. CAPRA) Center.
The RRC will accelerate and facilitate recruitment and retention of lower income and minority seniors, expand and enhance the existing UCLA OAIC registry of older adults interested in participating in research, and work closely with its Community Action Board and the UCLA OAIC Information Dissemination Core to disseminate findings in a manner designed to maximize community impact.
The OAIC RRC challenges the current inefficient "project to project" community-partnered research model by establishing an innovative single "point of entry" for scientists and community partners to come together to deploy equitably partnered research. This infrastructure fundamentally changes the way research is
conducted, will create a new generation of scientists who are expert in community participatory research, and will greatly accelerate the rate of translation of research into community-based programs.
The overarching mission of the RCDC is to develop future leaders in geriatrics research, focused in the area of UCLA's theme, Translational Research to Maintain Independence. The RCDC will emphasize "cross training" of its junior scientists, ensuring that they can integrate clinical and basic research knowledge to maintain the health and independence of the aging population.
The goals of the RCDC are to 1) Identify talented junior faculty with an interest in aging research who are
optimal candidates for UCLA OAIC 3- year career development awards (CDAs); 2) foster the research
training and careers of junior scientists with Board Certification in Geriatrics; 3) attract junior faculty from
other disciplines into aging research; 4) provide a supportive environment for UCLA OAIC CDA awardees
that maximizes the likelihood of successful training, research progress and ultimate career success; 5)
emphasize CDA training that will integrate basic and clinical science in addressing research questions; and 6) serve as a resource in aging-related research mentorship for UCLA junior faculty. In meeting these goals, the UCLA RCDC will also conduct outreach to minority CDA candidates and will be attuned to the
importance of health disparities research and minority populations' representation in research.
The 4 candidate CDAs for Year 1 are conducting research related to UCLA's theme and will develop
combined competence in basic and clinical research. David Walker, PhD is a geneticist who is using the
genetics of Drosophila to better understand the role of mitochondrial electron transport chain function in
modulating the aging process. Michael Yeh, MD is an endocrine surgeon who is using large datasets to
examine the rates of parathyroidectomy with increasing age and the impact of both untreated and surgically treated hyperparathyroidism on health-related outcomes among a racially diverse sample of older adults.
Jordan Lake, MD is an infectious disease specialist who Is examining mechanisms by which chronic inflammation accelerates aging processes in HIV-infected persons. David Merrill, MD, PhD is a geriatric psychiatrist and neuroscientist who is examining the mechanisms underlying the effects of physical fitness on cognition among older adults, including the role of inflammatory markers.
