American Federation for Aging Research : News

News

The latest updates from AFAR.

Oct 08
2013

AFAR board member Jay Olshansky, PhD, on the health and economic benefits of aging-focused research

On October 7, Health Affairs published a study, co-authored by board member Jay Olshansky, PhD, that was covered by the Washington Post, NPR, and PBS, among other news sources. The study illustrates the importance of aging-focused biomedical research in economic terms, claiming that such research will prove more effective in extending the human life span than traditional disease-focused approaches. The research was funded in part by the AFAR. Dr. Olshansky is a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Research Associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago. He…

Oct 03
2013

Grantees in the News: Dr. Wes Ely's latest study finds Alzheimer's-like cognition in ICU patients

An October 2 report on CBS News and Wall Street Journal article profiled new research, led by former Beeson Scholar Wes Ely, MD, MPH, which confirmed previous speculation of ICU practices’ long-term cognitive effects on patients. According to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, an ICU stay can lead to Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in up to one-third of patients, with less severe impaired brain function occurring in up to 75 percent of patients. The study followed several hundred patients for up to one year after discharge, with plans for longer-term research results in the future. …