Due to the weather and recent schedule adjustments, we wanted to share a quick update for tonight's Winter Series session. Dr. High will be joining us virtually for his presentation, "CMS Requirement for an Age-Friendly Health System—burden or opportunity?"; however, the session itself will still take place in person at the HEC. At this time, there is no virtual option for attendees. A reception will follow the presentation, and we hope you’ll join us for a warm and engaging evening together!

"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.

Join us for the next Pepper Investigators Lecture on "Recent Advances in Hispanic Aging Research: Depression, Frailty, and Health Paradoxes" with visiting scholar Diego Urrunaga-Pastor, MD. Dr. Urrunaga-Pastor will share insights from his research on aging in Hispanic populations, including the depressed-frail phenotype and the Healthy Immigrant Effect. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 12–1 PM at Rebecca Sealy 6.100 or via TEAMS (lunch provided in person).

As we close out 2025, the Sealy Center on Aging celebrates a year of major milestones in research, education, and community engagement. Highlights include the successful renewal of our P30 Pepper Center, launch of the $5M Texas Age-Tech Initiative, continued growth of our training programs, and expanded outreach through health education, social media, and the Stories of Aging series. We also welcomed new team members and are looking ahead to an exciting 2026 with new programs, events, and research focused on improving the lives of older adults. Read more in this greeting from our Director.

Stories of Aging is a student-led oral history and portrait series supported by the Sealy Center on Aging at UTMB. In the second interview of the series, Rose Daniels, 83-year-old Galveston child advocate and community mentor, speaks with medical student Julián Escalante.

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.