Ask the Expert Interviews

AFAR experts and leaders in the field answer questions about the latest developments in basic research and lifestyle interventions.

Ask the Expert: Mehmood Khan, MD, on Technologies, Bottlenecks, and Possibilities in Aging Research

2026

AFAR is pleased to share Part II of our Ask the Expert interview series featuring Mehmood Khan, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Hevolution Foundation.

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Ask the Expert: Mehmood Khan, MD, on Technologies, Bottlenecks, and Possibilities in Aging Research
Ask the Expert: Sergey Young on his Experience as a Pioneering Longevity Investor and Thought Leader, and Vision for the Future of Geroscience

2026

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert interview series featuring AFAR Board Member Sergey Young.

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Ask the Expert: Sergey Young on his Experience as a Pioneering Longevity Investor and Thought Leader, and Vision for the Future of Geroscience
Ask the Expert: Mehmood Khan, MD, on Hevolution Foundation’s Inspiration and Vision for Healthy Aging

2026

AFAR is pleased to share Part I of our Ask the Expert interview series featuring Mehmood Khan, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Hevolution Foundation.

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Ask the Expert: Mehmood Khan, MD, on Hevolution Foundation’s Inspiration and Vision for Healthy Aging
Ask the Expert: AFAR Scholar-in-Residence Raiany Romanni-Klein, PhD, on the Economics and Bioethics of Healthy Aging

2026

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert interview with our inaugural Scholar-in-Residence Raiany Romanni-Klein, PhD, on the Economics and Bioethics of Healthy Aging.

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Ask the Expert: AFAR Scholar-in-Residence Raiany Romanni-Klein, PhD, on the Economics and Bioethics of Healthy Aging
Ask the Expert: Kristine Yaffe, MD, Strengthening Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Aging Research Through Clin-STAR

2025

Professor Yaffe is an internationally recognized expert in the field of cognitive aging and dementia prevention.As a champion of…

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Ask the Expert: Kristine Yaffe, MD, Strengthening Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Aging Research Through Clin-STAR
Ask the Expert: Arlan Richardson, PhD, on the Significance of Mentoring the Next Generation of Aging Researchers

2025

Dr. Richardson has been a pivotal contributor to aging research for over fifty years. He has mentored and directed the research of more…

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Ask the Expert: Arlan Richardson, PhD, on the Significance of Mentoring the Next Generation of Aging Researchers
Ask the Expert: Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP, on a Multidisciplinary Approach to Health Services Research into Geriatric Palliative Care Needs and her 2025 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award

2025

Dr. Lauren Hunt is a doctorate-trained nurse practitioner whose research has focused on understanding geriatric palliative care needs. Her…

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Ask the Expert: Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP, on a Multidisciplinary Approach to Health Services Research into Geriatric Palliative Care Needs and her 2025 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award
Ask the Expert: David B. Allison, PhD, on Obesity, Nutrition, and the Science of Healthy Aging and his 2025 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction

2025

A leader in obesity, nutrition, and aging research, Dr. Allison’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH for over 30 years, and…

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Ask the Expert: David B. Allison, PhD, on Obesity, Nutrition, and the Science of Healthy Aging and his 2025 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction
Ask the Expert Interview: AFAR Board Member Sara Espinoza, MD, MSc, on Translational Geroscience, Promising Therapeutics, and More

2025

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert interview with board member Sara Espinoza, MD, MSc, Director of the Center for Translational Geroscience at Cedars-Sinai.

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Ask the Expert Interview: AFAR Board Member Sara Espinoza, MD, MSc, on Translational Geroscience, Promising Therapeutics, and More
Ask the Expert: AFAR Board Member Mark Lachs, MD, on clinical research, care, and more

2025

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert with AFAR Board Member Mark Lachs, MD.

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Ask the Expert: AFAR Board Member Mark Lachs, MD, on clinical research, care, and more
Ask the Expert: University of Alabama at Birmingham Nathan Shock Center Co-Director Thomas W. Buford, PhD, discusses the center's focus on the energetics of aging

2025

AFAR is pleased to share our Ask the Expert interview with Thomas W. Buford, PhD, UAB Nathan Shock Center Co-Director.

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Ask the Expert: University of Alabama at Birmingham Nathan Shock Center Co-Director Thomas W. Buford, PhD, discusses the center's focus on the energetics of aging
Ask the Expert: San Antonio Nathan Shock Center Deputy Director Adam B. Salmon, PhD, discusses the center’s integrated approach to study the biology of aging

2025

There are eight Nathan Shock Centers in the Biology of Aging across the country, funded by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) of the…

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Ask the Expert: San Antonio Nathan Shock Center Deputy Director Adam B. Salmon, PhD, discusses the center’s integrated approach to study the biology of aging
Ask the Expert: UW Nathan Shock Center Co-Director David Marcinek, PhD, discusses the challenge of making sense of huge amounts of data generated in aging research

2025

There are eight Nathan Shock Centers in the Biology of Aging across the country, funded by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) of the…

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Ask the Expert: UW Nathan Shock Center Co-Director David Marcinek, PhD, discusses the challenge of making sense of huge amounts of data generated in aging research
Ask the Expert: 2025 Cristofalo Award recipient Daniel W. Belsky, PhD, on Biomakers and Beyond

2025

Daniel W. Belsky, PhD, has dedicated his research career to aging research. Specifically, he has advanced our understanding of “biological…

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Ask the Expert: 2025 Cristofalo Award recipient Daniel W. Belsky, PhD, on Biomakers and Beyond
Ask the Expert: Gary Churchill, PhD, The Jackson Laboratory Nathan Shock Center Co-Director on how iterative development of pilot projects propels aging research

2025

There are eight Nathan Shock Centers in the Biology of Aging across the country, funded by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) of the…

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Ask the Expert: Gary Churchill, PhD, The Jackson Laboratory Nathan Shock Center Co-Director on how iterative development of pilot projects propels aging research
Ask the Expert: Jeremy D. Walston, MD, on the importance of understanding frailty and resilience in older people and his 2024 Irving S. Wright Award

2024

A geriatrician expert in basic aging research and as a clinician, Dr. Walson’s work has focused on frailty and resiliency for more than…

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Ask the Expert: Jeremy D. Walston, MD, on the importance of understanding frailty and resilience in older people and his 2024 Irving S. Wright Award
Ask the Expert: Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD, MPH, on advancing aging science with technology and her 2024 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award

2024

An epidemiologist and geriatrician, Dr. Huisingh-Scheetz is helping advance research on frailty and interventions to help frail people by…

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Ask the Expert: Megan Huisingh-Scheetz, MD, MPH, on advancing aging science with technology and her 2024 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Award
Ask the Expert: Steven N. Austad, PhD, on the importance of mentorship and his 2024 George M. Martin Award

2024

Winner of AFAR’s Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction 13 years ago, Dr. Austad’s prominence as an aging biologist has been amply…

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Ask the Expert: Steven N. Austad, PhD, on the importance of mentorship and his 2024 George M. Martin Award
Ask the Expert: 2024 Cristofalo Awardee Bérénice Benayoun, PhD, on her work from basic aging biology to translation, and from promoting a fish for research to understanding sex differences

2024

Dr. Benayoun’s research focuses on biological sex differences in aging. Supported by an AFAR grant in 2020, she developed a toolkit to help…

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Ask the Expert: 2024 Cristofalo Awardee Bérénice Benayoun, PhD, on her work from basic aging biology to translation, and from promoting a fish for research to understanding sex differences
Ask the Expert: Andrew J. Scott, MSc, DPhil, on the Role of Geroscience in the Transformation from an ‘Aging Society’ to a ‘Longevity Society’ copy

2024

In the world of aging biology, Dr. Andrew J. Scott is best known for his landmark 2021 study that for the first time assigned a monetary…

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Ask the Expert: Andrew J. Scott, MSc, DPhil, on the Role of Geroscience in the Transformation from an ‘Aging Society’ to a ‘Longevity Society’ copy