On November 12, 2021, from 3:30pm – 5:30 pm ET, AFAR will host its annual Scientific Awards of Distinction lectures and ceremony in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of American (GSA).
The online session, available by registering for the GSA meeting, will feature four award presentations and lectures.
Malene Hansen, PhD, will receive the 2021 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction, and present a lecture on "Cellular recycling: Role of autophagy in aging and disease." Dr. Hansen is a four-time AFAR grant recipient, receiving a 2020 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award, as well as a 2005 Ellison Medical Foundation and AFAR Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship, a 2010 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty award, and a 2014 Julie Martin Mid-career Award in Aging Research. She is also the Chief Scientific Officer and Professor at the Buck Institute.
Morgan Levine, PhD, will receive the 2021 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research, and will present a lecture on "DNA Methylation Landscapes in Aging." Dr. Levine has served as a member of AFAR’s National Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC) since 2020. She is also an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) in the School of Medicine at Yale University.
Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, PhD, RN, will receive the 2021 Terrie Fox Wetle Rising Star Awards in Health Services and Aging Research, and will present a lecture on “Progress in investigating social and behavioral communication patterns among individuals with moderate to advanced dementia, particularly in minority and diverse populations.” She is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) School of Nursing, Investigator and Informatics Lead of the UW Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) Care Research Core, and Deputy Director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Health Disparities Research. Notably, she is a current Paul B. Beeson Emerging Leaders Career Development Awards in Aging (K76) scholar, supported by AFAR.
Kali Thomas, MA, PhD, will receive the 2020 Wetle Award, and will present a lecture on "The role of home-delivered meals programs in improving health and promoting community independence for older adults." She is Associate Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice at Brown University's School of Public Health, and a Research Health Science Specialist in the Center of Innovation in Long-Term Services and Supports at the Providence VA Medical Center.
Learn more about the event here. Register today here.
Read a related press release about the lectures here.
