AFAR Experts in the News: Nir Barzilai, MD, and Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP, on exceptional longevity, lifestyle, and genetics in Bloomberg
![AFAR Experts in the News: Nir Barzilai, MD, and Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP, on exceptional longevity, lifestyle, and genetics in Bloomberg]()
On February 8th, 2026, Bloomberg published an article focusing on exceptional longevity and SuperAgers. The article features insights from AFAR SuperAgers Family Study Co-Investigators Nir Barzilai, MD, and Thomas Perls, MD, MPH.
The experts highlighted factors that could influence SuperAgers’ longevity, emphasizing that while genetics have a significant impact on longevity, lifestyle interventions, such as exercise and social connectivity, can help to extend healthspan and delay age-related diseases.
The SuperAgers Family Study, led by AFAR in collaboration with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Boston University School of Medicine, aims to collect data from a large group of individuals who have lived to age 95 or more. The Study's goal is to understand and uncover the biological factors contributing to healthy aging and exceptional longevity shared among SuperAgers and their families. Learn more and enroll in the SuperAgers Family Study here.
In addition to serving on AFAR’s Board of Directors, Dr. Barzilai is the 2010 recipient of the Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction, a 1997 Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award in Aging scholar, and a 1994 AFAR Research Grant recipient, as well as Co-Investigator of the AFAR FAST Initiative. He also directs the Institute for Aging Research at the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is the President of the Academy of Health and Lifespan Research.
Dr. Perls is a 1998 Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Award recipient. He is the Founder and Director of the New England Centenarian Study and a Professor of Medicine at Boston University’s School of Medicine.
Also picked up by Financial Advisor, read “Why Some People Live to 100 Despite Doing Everything Wrong” here.