The Sealy Center on Aging at UTMBLeading Aging Research Since 1995

This 8-week summer intensive program is intended for medical students moving between year 1 and year 2 of training. Students enrolled in the MSTAR program benefit from an enriching experience in aging-related research and clinical geriatrics with the mentorship of top experts in the field. The long-term goal of the program is to increase the number of established clinicians and physician investigators who pursue research in high-priority areas related to aging.

The Lefeber Hughes Winter Series on Aging, now in its 31st year, features nationally recognized experts in gerontology, including research educators, basic scientists, clinicians, and social scientists. This five-week series of presentations is open to all, and we invite UTMB faculty, staff, students, trainees, and members of the local community to attend. Join us on Feb 3rd for the second lecture, "Connected Care - Virtual Assistants and Activity Trackers for Aging at Home," presented by Jessica Lee, MD, UTHealth Houston

"A Safe & Sound Hospital Stay,” will be presented by Meredith Masel, PhD, MSW this Wednesday January 28th at 1:00PM as part of the UTMB Health Experts Series at the Osher Lifelong Learning Center (OLLI). The class outlines common hospital risks and offers practical tips, such as recording important conversations and using safety checklists, to help patients and families stay informed and actively support care. The class is open to OLLI members; visit the OLLI website for membership and registration details.

A new study supported in part by the NIA-funded Pepper Center at UTMB found that natural shifts in estrogen levels across the menstrual cycle do not impact short‑term muscle growth in women. Although some muscle‑building genes were more active when estrogen was higher, this did not translate into greater muscle protein production; instead, moderate links were observed with testosterone levels. These findings suggest that estrogen plays little role in immediate muscle‑building responses to exercise in women with regular menstrual cycles. Read the full study in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The Texas Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR), supported by the National Institute on Aging (Grant P30 AG059301), announces a call for applications for 1-year pilot project funding of up to $40,000 in direct costs. Led by the University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Texas at San Antonio, in collaboration with UT Austin, this program supports junior and mid-career faculty conducting behavioral and social science research on health and aging in under-represented populations, with a particular emphasis on Hispanic communities in the U.S. and Latin America.