What inspired you to pursue aging research?
I have always been interested in helping people, and aging research drew me because age is the one thing nobody can escape. We all age, but if research can provide a better understanding of how we age, and develop more effective interventions to slow the progress and allow us to age more gracefully, then it’s one of the best avenues to having a positive impact on society.
In your view, what does AFAR mean to the field, and what does it mean, for you, to receive an AFAR grant now?
AFAR is a tremendous organization with such a worthwhile and impactful mission. It has, and will continue to, advance the quality of life of older adults through its strong advocacy and financial support of aging research. This grant is a catalyst for me and my lab group, allowing me to dare to pursue and launch a new, creative, and impactful research line that could last for decades. I am also grateful that AFAR chose to support my research, which is outside of the box of the typical biology of aging research lines. This demonstrates AFAR’s commitment to supporting diverse areas within biomedical aging research, and will only broaden the organization’s societal impact.
What is exciting about your research’s potential impact?
I am excited about the ways that my research can potentially be used by others to impact the quality of life for older adults. While my research will be focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms and what changes occur with aging, it also has the potential to provide clinical and translational researchers with specific targets for future interventions.
How would you describe your research to a non-scientist?
I study how the brain controls our body, and how that control system changes with aging. That includes which parts of the system degrades with age first, as well as how our bodies compensate with new motor control strategies to overcome those deficits.
