Ask the Expert: Andrea N. Sherman, MS

AFAR is proud to participate in 2022 Careers in Aging Week, organized by our long-time partner Gerontological Society of Aging. In celebration this week, AFAR spotlights several of our Grants Program staff, who spearhead our funding and professional support for investigators.

Andrea Sherman is the Manager of the Clinician-Scientists Transdisciplinary Aging Research (Clin-STAR) Program. AFAR was selected as the National Coordinating Center for the program in 2019. Ms. Sherman joined AFAR in October 2021, and has worked in aging for over 35 years in gerontology.

Tell us about your journey into the field of aging research. How did you end up working in grant funding and at AFAR?

I received an MS in Social Work at Columbia with concentrations in program planning and gerontology. This turned out to be a versatile degree, launching my journey through various gerontology positions. Initially, I gained an appreciation of clinical geriatrics in hospital social work, followed by managing private and public grant-funded projects at Mount Sinai’s Department of Geriatrics and with the Brookdale Center on Aging. My only direct experience in aging research was conducting psychometric and cognitive assessments for Alzheimer disease drug trials. For over 25 years, I was a consulting managing editor for the American Geriatrics Society’s Geriatrics Review Syllabus and related projects.

These experiences have all well prepared me for my latest role at AFAR managing the multi-faceted Clin-STAR program.

Describe how your roles and responsibilities support aging researchers or the field at large.

The Clin-STAR Coordinating Center provides a national platform for clinician scientists focusing their careers on aging research to improve patient-centered care for older adults across specialties and disciplines. I’m embracing new experiences working with both mid-senior level and early-stage investigators across many specialties and disciplines.

What inspires you about the momentum in healthy aging and research today?

Whereas my prior experiences were mostly clinical geriatrics and education, it’s been a refreshing challenge to learn about and manage an NIA grant with initiatives that help support researchers in the aging field.

What advice would you give to someone looking to begin a career in aging, specifically in grant funding?

There are many roadmaps to a rewarding career in aging. Mine began in social work and I’ve enjoyed the different directions the road has taken me!