2012 Grants Awarded

In 2012, AFAR awarded more than $7 million dollars to almost 300 grantees in aging research. The grantees include medical students, geriatrics fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and early and mid-career investigators. AFAR is able to provide funding for a broad range of aging research through partnerships with foundations, corporations, and the National Institute on Aging, along with the support of many generous individuals.

AFAR also thanks the almost 350 members of the scientific review committees whose time, dedication, and expertise are crucial to identifying the best science.

Grants in the Biology of Aging

Ten new investigators studying mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases received funding through AFAR’s flagship grant program. Read about their projects here.

With funding from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, AFAR awarded $100,000 each to four new investigators in Alzheimer’s disease.

Two mid-career investigators were each awarded $550,000 through the Julie Martin Mid-Career Award program to undertake new high-risk directions of investigation with a potential high payoff in our understanding of basic aging processes.

Two Glenn/AFAR Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) awards of $200,000 each were awarded to fund relatively high risk pilot programs in the biology of aging. Read about the work here.

The Ellison Medical Foundation/AFAR Postdoctoral Fellows in Aging Research Program will provide funding for 16 highly promising postdoctoral fellows in basic biological and biomedical sciences relevant to understanding aging processes and age-related diseases and disabilities. The award is intended to provide significant support to permit these postdoctoral fellows to become established in the field of aging.

Grants in Geriatric Medicine

The John A. Hartford Foundation’s Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Psychiatry program named 113 advanced fellows and junior faculty as Hartford Scholars at 28 Centers of Excellence. The support will help build a solid foundation on which to launch successful careers and to become tomorrow’s leaders and innovators in the fields of geriatric medicine and geriatric psychiatry.

Almost 150 medical students received a focused eight- to twelve-week research, didactic, and clinical experience at designated geriatrics training centers across the country through the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program. Many MSTAR students shared vignettes from their experience through the Diary of an MSTAR Student. See the complete list of MSTAR Scholars here.

Upcoming events…

October 16: “Pain Management – Innovation, Information and Translation,” a symposium, at the Cornell Club-NY. The agenda topics are available here. Contact Ashby Andrews at ashby@afar.org for more information or to RSVP.

October 29: Join AFAR at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City for the Annual Awards Dinner. Read more about the dinner and honorees here. Contact Nancy O’Leary at nancy@afar.org for more information.