Sealy Center on Aging

The 15th International Conference on Aging in the Americas (ICAA) Cognitive Aging in Mexico and Latino Communities in the United States: Deconstructing Resilience was held September 14 – 16, 2022. A predoctoral and postdoctoral trainee in SCOA earned top awards in the poster session.

The UTMB Internal Medicine/Sealy Center on Aging Walk to End Alzheimer’s team raised almost $10,000 in 2021. We hope to exceed that goal this year. Join team captain Alice Williams at the walk this year on Sat. Oct. 8 at Stewart Beach in Galveston. A Bake Sale & Virtual Cake Auction will be held on Sept. 28. Donate or join our team today!

The UTMB Sealy Center on Aging has supported Americorps Seniors (RSVP of Galveston County) since 2002. We are honored and committed to supporting such meaningful outreach and engagement among the senior community. Learn more about volunteering today.

Two new developmental projects were awarded to Alejandro Villasante-Tezanos, PhD with Xiaoying Yu, PhD, and Guy Nir, PhD by the Pepper Center beginning Fall 2022. Dr. Nir has also been invited to be a Sealy Center on Aging Fellow.

Elizabeth Lyons of the University of Texas Medical Branch said some people love video games because there's a lot of unpredictability and surprise. Lyons tries to mimic these characteristics in her own fitness game designs. As part of her research, she created a Facebook page to help motivate older women in Galveston, Texas, to go for daily walks. To keep the participants on their toes, she posts fun challenges on the page. “A lot of the things we've been trying to do with challenges is to bring back a sense of childlike wonder," she said – "kind of like what you get when you're exploring a video game world for the first time."

Congratulations to new Pepper Scholar Yunfeng Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Pathology. His research areas include Mechanobiology, Vascular biology, Hemostasis, and thrombosis, as well as Protein dynamics.

Two new pilot projects were awarded to Hoang T. Nguyen, PhD, and Michael Sheetz, PhD by the Pepper Center for 2022-2023.

Please see new video, "An Overview of Research on Aging at the Sealy Center on Aging," a special presentation at the weekly Geriatrics Medicine Conference by James S. Goodwin, MD, Brian Downer, PhD, and Huiwen Xu, PhD.

Medical Student in Aging Research participant Mathilda Nicot-Cartsonis leads No One Dies Alone (NODA) at UTMB, an organization that matches volunteers with end-of-life patients who have no friends or family to visit them.

Congratulations to Jennifer Young, Jessica den Herder, and Tammie Michael, House Call Nurse Practitioners in the Division of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, on being selected for the 2022 President’s Cabinet Award to fund their proposed project, “Improving Hurricane Preparedness in Galveston County Home Bound”.

Past UTMB Medical student Ronan P Allencherril has published a new paper with mentors from the Sealy Center on Aging, "Liver Disease Among Mexican Americans Aged 67 Years and Older".

Join us on October 25th for the 25th Annual Forum on Aging at UTMB. This event allows faculty, fellows, and students to showcase their research and inform the UTMB community about the aging research being conducted here. It is also a great networking event and opportunity to learn about the research resources available from the Sealy Center on Aging and Research Services. Monetary awards for best student and fellow posters will be given, sponsored by the Sealy Center on Aging, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health, and Sigma Xi.

We are pleased to announce that the 1st recipient of the Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, Junior Faculty Research Award is Assistant Professor of Geriatrics, Dr. Sadaf Milani. Dr. Milani is a former T32 Health of Older Minorities Postdoctoral Trainee at the Sealy Center on Aging and a current UTMB Pepper Center Scholar. The Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR Jr. Faculty Research Award is funded for the benefit of junior faculty at UTMB who are conducting research related to rehabilitation, disability, and recovery.

Dr. Huiwen Xu, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine and Population Health and UTMB Pepper Center Scholar has been appointed President-Elect of the China Health Policy and Management Society (CHPAMS).

Please join the UTMB Internal Medicine/Sealy Center on Aging Walk to End Alzheimer’s team. We hope to exceed our goal of raising $10,000 last year. The Walk is on Saturday, October 8 at Stewart Beach in Galveston.

The final presentation in our recent Lunch & Learn series was held on July 28th at Grace Episcopal Church in Galveston. Jake Trione and John Adiletta from TriFitness Gym presented to 50 attendees about Physical Activity & Aging. We appreciate their generosity to SCOA in making our Lunch and Learn series a success.

Researchers from the Sealy Center on Aging and UTMB Pepper Center attended an annual meeting presented by the Coordinating Board of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center in April 2022. Attendees from UTMB included Elena Volpi, Blake Rasmussen, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Erin Hommel, Sadaf Milani, Neil Mehta, Andrew Murton, and Huiwen Xu.

The Sealy Center on Aging is offering a summer series of Lunch & Learn programs for older adults in association with Seaside Seniors, a group that meets weekly in Galveston. On July 7th, Nurse Practitioners provided Hurricane Preparedness kits and information about the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR program) for the elderly and disabled.

The Sealy Center on Aging at UTMB has been redesignated as a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Centre through 2026.

Rebeca Wong, PhD, has been appointed as the Sheridan Lorenz Distinguished Professor in Aging and Health in the School of Public and Population Health through June 2025. Dr. Wong is a Professor in the School of Public and Population Health; Director of the WHO/ PAHO Collaborating Center on Aging and Health; and Associate Director of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center as well as the Sealy Center on Aging.

A Mechanomedicine of Aging Symposium is planned for July 1st on campus and via webcast featuring presentations from members of the Sealy Center on Aging and Pepper Center at UTMB. All UTMB researchers are invited.

The Sealy Center on Aging participated in the Positive Caregiving conference hosted by the Alzheimer's Association: Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter at United Way of Greater Houston on June 23rd, 2022. Alice Williams, MS, LBSW participated in a panel discussing How to Improve Resilience in Caregiving.

AmeriCorps Seniors are busy assisting the community in Galveston County. The Salvation Army made a call for help with serving dinner to those in need. AmeriCorps Seniors/RSVP director Ritchie Adoue and volunteers were able to answer the call.

Current MD/PhD candidate Kelli LaCroix won second place in the recent UTMB T1-T4 3-minute thesis challenge. In addition, current Rehabilitation Sciences doctoral student Jason Johnson, BS, is the recipient of the 2022-2023 Jeane B. Kempner Predoctoral Fellowship Award. Congrats to both from your mentors & colleagues at SCOA.

The Sealy Center on Aging is offering a series of Lunch & Learn activities for the public in association with the Seaside Seniors, a group that meets weekly in Galveston. Join us for a series of lunchtime talks about important topics for older adults.

The Caregiver Connection Support Group meets in hybrid format on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays monthly from 12 -1 PM. All family caregivers of older adults with dementia or other special needs are welcome. Hosted by Alice Williams, MS, LBSW from SCOA.

Caregivers are invited to join Alice Williams from the Sealy Center on Aging and colleagues for a hybrid conference on June 23rd. Learn how to cultivate optimism, improve your inner strength, and support systems to build resilience.

The UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center encourages UTMB investigators to submit RL5 scholar applications. The Research Education Component engages early-stage investigators in a mentored research experience to support the development of externally funded research. Deadline: July 1, 2022.

The MoTrPAC research study is the largest effort to date, aimed at understanding how physical activity improves health and prevents disease. The main goal of the MoTrPAC is to gain a better understanding of how the body changes with physical activity. This will help researchers and doctors to prescribe tailored exercise programs in the future. View a new video about the study.

During the National Institutes of Health Council of Councils Meeting in May, a report from the Working Group on Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Integration was presented and approved by the Council. It was prepared by a working group chartered by the NIH Council of Councils including Dr. Rebeca Wong from UTMB.

As we age, we could benefit from adding more protein to our diet. It's also one of the slowest macronutrients to digest, a 2008 study by the University of Texas Medical Branch explains, which means as well as helping to improve your metabolism, you'll also stay fuller for longer and gradually learn how to eat less.

See a video from the TODAY Show in a segment from June 6th to learn about MoTrPAC (Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium). MoTrPAC is a research study and one of the largest efforts to study physical activity involving universities, medical centers, researchers, and most importantly, participants from all over the country.

Soham Al Snih, MD, PhD, Senior Fellow of the Sealy Center on Aging, has been appointed Assistant Dean for Doctorate Foundational Curriculum at the UTMB School for Public and Population Health. She will oversee PhD curricula and PhD foundational courses, assess program changes, and monitor doctoral student progress and professional development for PhD students.

Congratulations to former MSTAR graduating medical student Wilma Afunugo, this year’s recipient of the Edward J and Ellie Weisiger Lefeber, Sr Prize in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.

How do you know if participating in a research trial is right for you? What difference does your participation make to you and to others? Join the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Sealy Center on Aging for this important presentation to learn what is involved in a clinical trial, get an overview of the potential benefits and risks of study participation, and learn questions to ask researchers when deciding to participate.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, you’ll want to attend this seminar and learn about SPARX3 research Monday, June 20, at 10 AM-Noon at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Presenters: UTMB Sealy Center on Aging Researchers, Summer Chapman, and Jessica Spahn.

Dr. Neil K. Mehta, current scholar in the UTMB Pepper Center and Associate Professor in the School for Public and Population Health is a guest editor of “Why Does Health in the U.S. Continue to Lag Behind,” a special supplemental issue of The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Several news outlets covered the release of the supplemental issue.

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The Rev. Dr. Helen W. Appelberg (née Helen Marie Waller) died April 21, 2022 on Galveston Island. She was a Visiting Scholar at Sealy Center on Aging at UTMB in Galveston and was later appointed Director of the Center for Spirituality in Aging. During this time, she also began an annual three-day conference at Camp Allen, “Abundant Living,” which celebrated its 18th year this May. A memorial service for the Rev. Dr. Helen W. Appelberg will be held Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 22nd & Winnie Streets, Galveston, Texas, with the Rt. Rev. Jeff Fisher officiating and the Rev. Susan Kennard preaching. A reception will be held in Eaton Hall following the service.

The Data Management and Analysis Core for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) on Cancer in Texas is looking for investigators in Texas academic and research institutes interested in conducting CER on cancer to submit pilot grant proposals.

Known as the “silent thief,” osteoporosis is a disease that thins and weakens bones to the point where they break easily. Read more from Elena Volpi, MD, PhD in this guest commentary in the Galveston Daily News. Learn more about the STEP-HI Study at UTMB.

Professor Douglas Paddon-Jones, PhD, FACSM passed away in August 2021 after a brief and aggressive illness. He was well-respected as a researcher and educator who sought the improvement in human health through the study of muscle mass regulation and function.

The UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center encourages UTMB investigators to submit RL5 scholar applications. The Research Education Component engages early-stage investigators in a mentored research experience to support the development of externally funded research. Deadline: July 1, 2022.

UTMB MD-PhD student Kseniya Masterova has been awarded a predoctoral training fellowship supported by the Institute for Translational Science TL1 Training Core. Elena Volpi, MD, PhD is her primary and clinical research mentor and Blake Rasmussen, PhD is her basic science mentor.

The NIH-funded UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (P30 AG024832) encourages UTMB investigators to submit pilot research proposals for translational aging research on physical function and recovery from illness in older adults. Proposals from basic science, clinical trials, patient-centered outcomes, population health, and any other area of translational research (T1-T4) are welcome.

Monique Pappadis, MED, PhD has been named an Elite Reviewer for 2021 for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, once more. She is 1 of 29 reviewers or the top 3% with this designation. Elite status designation reflects the number, timeliness, and quality of reviews for the Archives in 2021. Congratulations, Dr. Pappadis!

A new journal article by Rebeca Wong, PhD and colleagues, Migration, work, and retirement: the case of Mexican-origin populations, is highlighted in an article at USC Price, New research: Mexican immigrants have to work longer due to inadequate social security benefits.

Please join us for the Secondary Data Analysis Seminar Series: Identifying Data Sources for High Impact Research as Drs Al Snih and Markides present, “The H-EPESE: Longitudinal Study of older Mexican Americans” sponsored by the Department of Population Health and Health Disparities on April 27th at Noon.

Dr. Raji was the Plenary Speaker at the 2022 Geriatric Medication Safety Symposium this month. He presented, “Opioid and Benzodiazepine Substitute Use in Older Adults Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic.”

UTMB researchers are presenting their work this week at the Population Association of America Annual Meeting. Sealy Center on Aging & UTMB Pepper Center members represented include Rebeca Wong, Brian Downer, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Neil Mehta, Matthew Miller, Phillip Cantu and Sadaf Milani. Population Health Sciences Doctoral Students Monica Hernandez and Mariela Gutierrez, who are mentored by our members, also presented their work.

The UTMB Pepper Center hosted its external advisory board on March 31, 2022, with members Karen Bandeen-Roche, PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Thomas M. Gill, MD, Yale School of Medicine (via Zoom), and Stephen Kritchevsky, PhD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences (via Zoom). The agenda included a welcome from UTMB leaders, and an introduction from Pepper Center Director Elena Volpi, MD, PhD with Co-director Rebeca Wong, PhD. An open discussion for future plans was held prior to drafting a final report. Current scholars also gave presentations.

The Sealy Center on Aging recently accepted a donation of over $4,700 from TriFitness Gym in Clear Lake from their annual fundraiser. The funds will be used for community education activities for local seniors.

The Dementia Care Study (D-CARE), a nationwide clinical trial assessing the effectiveness of different approaches to caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, has reached its recruitment goal. UTMB is one of the participating locations. The researchers expect to complete the trial in 2024, with results to be published in 2025.

Camp Allen and UTMB’s Sealy Center on Aging invite you to the 19th annual Abundant Living Conference May 24th - 26th, 2022. Reconnect with others on the journey of aging while learning from health care experts and spiritual leaders in the beautiful piney woods of Navasota. Experience music, nature walks, yoga, labyrinth walks, and the gifts of friendship and hospitality.

Although COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has seized headlines recently, people are still dying of other causes. Recently, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, sought to answer this question. The authors published their findings in the online journal JAMA Network Open. Their article, "Hospitalizations and Mortality From Non–SARS-CoV-2 Causes Among Medicare Beneficiaries at US Hospitals During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic," appears in the March 9 issue of the journal. The study specifically looked at how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected the hospital care of patients without SARS-CoV-2 illness. Click the title above to read more about this important study.

A recording of the latest Pepper Investigator's Lecture, "Research Education: More Than Just Training" presented by Melodi Moore & Heidi Lutz, CRA is now available at the UTMB Pepper Center website.

The Lefeber Winter Series on Aging, now in its 27th year, features nationally recognized gerontology research educators, basic scientists, clinicians, and social scientists. Videos of the 2022 series are now available online at the Sealy Center on Aging website.

Geriatric Fellow Dr. Shivani Priyadarshni has published two new peer-reviewed publications with mentorship from members of the Sealy Center on Aging & UTMB Pepper Center: "COVID-19 Infection and Incidence of Myocarditis: A Multi-Site Population-Based Propensity Score-Matched Analysis" in Cureus and "Association of Medication-Assisted-Therapy with New Onset of Cardiac Arrhythmia in Patients Diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorders" in ScienceDirect.

The recipient of the 2022 Dr. Suzanne Kneuper Linder Research Award for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research is 3rd year medical student Warona Mathuba. The Dr. Suzanne Kneuper Linder Research Award Fund is a permanent endowment in the School of Health Professions, established in memory of Dr. Suzanne Linder, former Edna Seinsheimer Levin Endowed Professor in Cancer Studies and Assistant Professor in the former Division of Rehabilitation Sciences. Funds distributed from the endowment shall be used to give an award to a Fellow and/or Student and/or other Trainee working in patient-centered research. The awardee is selected by the Director of the Sealy Center on Aging in consultation with the Dean of the School of Health Professions.

Alice Williams, MS, LBSW, Community Education Specialist for the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging is presenting in the "Time Out Tuesdays" series hosted by the UTMB Health Resource Center about "Communication When Dementia is Involved" via Zoom on February 22, 2022.

Alice Williams, Community Education Specialist for the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging provided education about heart health to the participants and staff at Libbie's Place Senior Day Program.

Kevin Thomas Pritchard, MS has received funding for his F31 project, “Determinants and effectiveness of non-pharmacologic pain interventions versus prescription opioids” from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Sponsors include members of the Sealy Center on Aging, Drs. Baillargeon, Kuo, and Raji. Pritchard is a PhD student in the Rehabilitation Science Program and an AHRQ T32 trainee.

The Lefeber Winter Series on Aging, now in its 27th year, features nationally recognized gerontology research educators, basic scientists, clinicians, and social scientists. All lectures will be held via Zoom. RSVP required for password. Lectures are open to everyone.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association by Drs. James S. Goodwin, Yong-Fang-Kuo, and Mukaila Raji from the Sealy Center on Aging and others looked at the number of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who practice full time in nursing homes. Providers working full time in the nursing home is associated with better health outcomes for the approximately 1.3 million Americans who are residents in nursing homes.

The 6th Annual Meeting of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) Users took place October 27-29, 2021 (Virtual), in collaboration with the Mexican National Institute of Geriatrics. The MHAS is turned 20 this year!! The MHAS started its first baseline in 2001, following up a cohort of 15,000 persons aged 50 and older in Mexico. MHAS has been hosted at UTMB since 2008, with special thanks to the support from SCOA and the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center at UTMB.

Congratulations to Dr.Deer on new COVID-19 funding from the Institute for Human Infections & Immunity at UTMB, "Symptom-Based Phenotyping of PASC Patients: Translation to Patient Triage and Treatment"

Annual donation drive benefitting Galveston area seniors. Please donate items from our list or make tax-deductible monetary contributions by December 8, 2021. Collection boxes are located at Rebecca Sealy Hospital 1st & 2nd floor. Sponsor a senior $40, or any amount. Contact us for more info.

Congratulations to the winning poster authors and thanks to all who participated in the 24th Annual Forum on Aging at UTMB. You can view winners and photos and download this year's program at the SCOA website.

Three new pilot projects were awarded to Peter Cram, MD, Tse-Chuan Yang, PhD, and Sagar Gaikward, PhD by the Pepper Center for 2021-2022.

"We hope that this study highlights the disproportionate effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, sex as a priority in research on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the need for interventions to address these sex disparities in the consequences of the pandemic,” said Dr. Sadaf Milani, Assistant Professor in Geriatrics at UTMB and a former Postdoctoral Trainee in the T32 Health of Older Minorities Program at SCOA.

Join us Wednesday at 5 PM - 7 PM at Levin Hall Dining Room for the 24th Annual Forum on Aging at UTMB. The program is available online (only) this year on our website.

The 2021 Internal Medicine / Sealy Center on Aging Walk to End Alzheimer’s Team hit the sand Saturday, October 9th at Stewart Beach to support the fight to End Alzheimer’s. Thanks to the generosity of the UTMB and surrounding community for contributing to our cake auction, making donations, and supporting our walkers. Congratulations to the Champion Walkers that raised $500 or more, including Alice Williams, Susan Minello, Mukaila Raji, Melissa Lockhart, Rafael Samper-Ternent, and Eleanore Wuthrich.

The Forum on Aging is an opportunity for faculty, fellows, & students to showcase their research at UTMB. Network & learn more about resources available from SCOA and Research Services. Monetary awards for best student & fellow posters, co-sponsored by Sigma Xi.

We invite teams of investigators from the University of Texas, Austin Center on Aging & Population Sciences, and the University of Texas Medical Branch Pepper Center / Texas RCMAR to submit collaborative proposals for seed projects to be completed during the period from July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023. An introductory meeting is planned for October 1, 2021.

Rebeca Wong, PhD is presenting a keynote address, "About Resilient Aging – Evidence using the Mexican Health and Aging Study," in the 21st International Conference Series on Aging in the Americas: Resilience and Aging in the Americas. This virtual conference is scheduled for Sept 23 and 24 from 1 pm CST to 5pm CST each day, including sessions on defining resilience and early career mentoring.

The next Health Care Unmasked will take place this Thursday, 9/23 at noon with Drs. Giulio Taglialatela & Rafael Samper-Ternent. They will be discussing Alzheimer's disease and the latest research and clinical care.

Brian Downer, PhD, has been appointed Co-Director of Translational Research Scholars Program in the Institution of Translation Sciences at UTMB.

Blake Rasmussen, PhD, has been appointed Associate Dean for Innovation & Commercialization for the School of Health Professions. Dr. Rasmussen is currently serving as the Chair of the Department of Nutrition, Metabolism & Rehabilitation Sciences and has been continuously funded by the NIH for the past 17 years at UTMB.

Today at noon, Dr. Rachel Deer will present as part of the Infectious Diseases & Immunity Colloquium Series, “The Long Road to COVID-19 Recovery: UTMB Post-COVID Recovery Clinic Research Updates”.

As part of $142 million in new grants, the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, (CPRIT) announced on August 18, 2021 an award of $2,936,731 to Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Director of the UTMB Office of Biostatistics. The award supports the establishment of a state-wide resource, The Data Management and Analysis Core (DMAC) for Comparative Effectiveness Research on Cancer in Texas, at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

UTMB’s Institute for Translational Science and the Sealy Center for Environmental Health & Medicine invites you to participate in a conversation on “Setting the Record Straight: Separating COVID and Vaccine Myth from Fact” featuring Scott Weaver, PhD and Rachel Deer, PhD.

The Pepper Center encourages UTMB investigators to submit pilot research proposals in the areas of aging, physical function, and recovery from illness in older adults. The deadline for a letter of intent is August 5, 2021.

An article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has been selected by Editors as one of the 10 best of 2020. The article by Jacqueline Torres and colleagues uses data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study.

The OAIC National Coordinating Center for the Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Centers has announced funding opportunities including multi-center and freezer RFAs.

UTMB researchers have the opportunity to request core support services from our Pepper Center by visiting our website. Services include support for researchers whose research is in line with the Center’s mission: To improve physical function and independence in older adults.

Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Melissa C. Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP-BC was recently invited to present, “Exploring Senior Living and Long Term Care Options," in the weekly "Time-Out" Session hosted by the UTMB Health Resource Center on July 21, 2021, at noon on Zoom. Dr. Lockhart is currently involved in the Dementia Care Study (D-CARE).

An article by researchers in the Sealy Center on Aging was selected as a featured article in the July 2021 issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. "Association of Occupational and Physical Therapy With Duration of Prescription Opioid Use After Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Medicare Enrollees" by Kevin T. Pritchard, MS, OTR, Jacques Baillargeon, PhD, Mukaila A. Raji, MD, MS, Lin-Na Chou, MS, Brian Downer, PhD, and Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD.

Monique R. Pappadis, MEd, PhD was selected as the recipient of the 2021 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) Early Career Outstanding Mentor Award.

The UTMB Office of the President presents an online Health Policy Dialogue on the “ALL of US” Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Dr. Kenneth Ottenbacher, with over 25 years of exceptional contributions to UTMB, retired as of January 31, 2021. He served as Vice Dean of the School of Health Professions from 1995 to 2001 when he became the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Ottenbacher was appointed as Associate Director in the Sealy Center on Aging in 1998 and has served as a member leadership of the UTMB Pepper Center.

Congratulations to former MSTAR graduating medical student Nicole Huang, this year’s recipient of the Edward J and Ellie Weisiger Lefeber, Sr Prize in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.

Heidi Spratt, PhD was selected by the Graduate Student Organization at the recent Commencement of the Graduation School of Biomedical Sciences at UTMB to receive the 2021 Distinguished Faculty Award.

Soham Al Snih, MD, PhD was selected by the Graduate Student Organization at the recent Commencement of the Graduation School of Biomedical Sciences at UTMB to receive the 2021 Distinguished Teacher Award.

Brian Downer, PhD has been awarded a multi-year grant from the National Institute on Aging for a grant titled, "The influence of social and cultural context on life course pathways for Alzheimer’s disease, related dementia, and care resources for older Mexican adults."

Save the Date: UTMB in partnership with UT Austin, UCLA, and USC will host the 2021 International Conference on Aging in the Americas. Submit abstracts through June 7, 2021.

Americorps Seniors are volunteers over the age of 55 who engage in a variety of volunteer activities, within Galveston County, identified through the RSVP Volunteer Program, sponsored and supported by UTMB’s Sealy Center on Aging for over 19 years. Learn more about this exciting program today.

Elizabeth Lyons, PhD, MPH, has been invited to serve as a member of the Health Promotion in Communities Study Section, Center for Scientific Review at the NIH. Dr. Lyons was nominated because of her demonstrated competence and achievement in her scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of her research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals, and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.

A video from the recent Pepper Investigators Lecture presented by James S. Goodwin, MD, is now available, "Using Medicare Data to Study the Impact of SARS-Co-V on Older Americans".

The Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise Phase 3 Clinical Trial: SPARX3 is now recruiting research participants. We are seeking volunteers to participate in a clinical research trial to learn more about the effects of aerobic exercise on people with Parkinson’s disease.

Learn how to get older the healthy way with a Health Chat series, part of the Beyond the Books Spring 2021 program at Helen Hall Library. The series is led by Alice Williams, Community Educator at the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging with guest speakers. Join us ONLINE January 28, Feb 25, March 25, April 22. Click title for more details.

Congratulations to Rafael Samper-Ternent, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine & Scholar in the UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center on a new two-year CTSA Diversity Supplement grant funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

Alice Williams is participating in The Gathering Place Brain Fair on March 27, 2021, 9am-Noon at the Brazoria County Fairgrounds. Come out and learn about UTMB's D-CARE study supporting individuals with dementia and their family caregivers.

In collaboration with Université Laval and SilverScience20, Dr. Rafael Samper-Ternent is working with Dr. Julie Faieta to present videos about topics for people with dementia and their caregivers. Three videos are now available: "State of the Science: Does COVID-19 Impact Risk of Developing Dementia?", "Quick Tips for Dementia Caregivers: COVID-19 Vaccine", and "State of the Science: Participating in Research."

Galveston Alzheimer's Association Community Forum Thursday, March 25th at 4pm: Join us to learn about Alzheimer's, dementia, and memory loss and share your thoughts about how the Alzheimer's Association can help people in your community.

Learn how to get older the healthy way with a Health Chat series, part of the Beyond the Books Spring 2021 program at Helen Hall Library. The series is led by Alice Williams, Community Educator at the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging with guest speakers. Join us ONLINE January 28, Feb 25, March 25, April 22. Click title for more details.

The Caregiver Connection Support Group is meeting virtually on Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays monthly from 12 -1 p.m. All family caregivers of older adults with dementia or other special needs are welcome. Hosted by Alice Williams, MS, LBSW from SCOA.

Through a competitive process, Rafael Samper-Ternent, MD, PhD has been invited to IMPACT Collaboratory’s first annual Training Workshop and Retreat, “Building Skills to Conduct Embedded Pragmatic Clinical Trials for People Living with Dementia”, on April 7-8, 2021. Congratulations, Dr. Samper-Ternent!

CALL FOR PILOT PROPOSALS aimed at developing and/or utilizing state-of-the-art quantitative/data science methodologies and technologies to address aging-related research questions.

All UTMB students, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents, staff, and faculty, as well as community members, are encouraged to share their public health-related projects and experiences by participating in the Symposium’s poster session on April 7, 2021.

Older Adults are invited to sign up for this informative series from OLLI. Be the first to know about emerging research being conducted by UTMB’s Sealy Center on Aging (SCOA) and some of the multidisciplinary investigations which SCOA directs. Sign up by calling 409.763.5604

Geriatric Nurse Practitioners Jennifer Young and Tammie Michael helped dozens of homebound people in Galveston County receive their second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations last week during the difficult weather.

Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD has been named as an Elite Reviewer for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for 2020. Elite status designation reflects the number, timeliness, and quality of reviews for the Archives in 2020 as judged by the editors.

Learn how to get older the healthy way with a Health Chat series, part of the Beyond the Books Spring 2021 program at Helen Hall Library. The series is led by Alice Williams, Community Educator at the UTMB Sealy Center on Aging with guest speakers. Join us ONLINE January 28, Feb 25, March 25, April 22. Click title for more details.

Join us for the Abundant Living Conference online this year. We look forward to connecting with you and miss seeing you at camp. March 8, 2021, 10AM-noon.

Rebeca Wong, PhD has been invited by the chair of the NIH Council of Councils to join a newly formed working group of the Council on Behavioral & Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Integration.

Norma Perez Raifaisen, MD, DrPH, Sealy Center on Aging Fellow, has published "A Snapshot of Current US Medical School Off-Ramp Programs—a Way to Leave Medical School with Another Degree," with colleagues at 3 other US medical schools. They discuss ways to help medical students who discover that an MD degree is not the right career path for them.

Kimberly P. Hreha, EdD, OTR/L, is the recipient of a highly competitive travel award from the American Federation for Aging Research.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences Rachel Deer, PhD, recipient of the Institute for Translational Sciences Provost’s Scholar Award for her proposal, "Feasibility Study of Multimodal Interventions to Accelerate Recovery and Improve Quality of Life in COVID-19 Survivors."

The Lefeber Winter Series on Aging, now in its 26th year, features nationally recognized gerontology research educators, basic scientists, clinicians and social scientists. This year all lectures will be ONLINE. Register to receive virtual meeting details. ​

Beyond Health: United Nations announced a new initiative to improve the lives of older people, their families and communities. The initiative approaches different aspects of life including health services as well as other aspects of society such as employment and demand good and services.

​Chih-Ying (Cynthia) Li, PhD, OTR, Department of Occupational Therapy, is a new recipient of the AOTF Early Career Research Excellence Award. Dr. Li had a pilot project in the UTMB Pepper Center.

Sealy Center on Aging staff and members of the Americorps Senior program of Galveston County assisted with distributing 40 gift cards to local seniors during the holidays. Also in December, Education Specialist Alice Williams gave a presentation, “Understanding Social Isolation and its Health Effects,” at Parson’s House Assisted Living in La Porte, TX.

Dr. Vineet Menachery, a leader in the Metabolism and Biology Resource Core of the UTMB Pepper Center, was interviewed by Ari Shapiro on, "All Things Considered," at NPR regarding the new strain of COVID-19 found in the UK.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas, are enrolling participants in the Dementia Care (D-CARE) Study to determine the effectiveness of various types of care for dementia. One such story, related by Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Melissa C. Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP-BC, involves a person with dementia who was enrolled in the D-CARE Study.

A video is now available online for the Pepper Investigator's Lecture on December 3, 2020, "Patient Priorities Care: Aligning Decisions and Care with Patients' Health Priorities," presented by Aanand D. Naik, MD, Professor and Robert J. Luchi, MD, Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine.

The Sealy Center on Aging and the School of Health Professions presented the Dr. Suzanne Kneuper Linder Research Award for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research to 4th-year UTMB medical student Rahul Shah on November 25, 2020.

For the 5th time, the annual Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS/ENASEM) seminar for users of the data was organized in collaboration with the Mexican National Institute of Geriatrics (Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, INGER). A trademark of this meeting is the time devoted for questions and answers. Thirty institutions were represented, including 15 from Mexico and 15 from US, Canada, Netherlands, and Cuba.

UTMB is participating as a clinical site for the Study in Parkinson's Disease of Exercise Phase 3 Clinical Trial. The SPARX3 (NCT04284436) study is the first randomized control trial designed to investigate the effects of moderate- and high-intensity aerobic exercise on disease progression in untreated patients with Parkinson’s.

A multidisciplinary team of physicians, rehabilitation specialists, nurses, and data scientists looked at hip fractures. Using a visual analytical method, the team was able to identify subgroups who shared pre-existing conditions and map out how these could lead to a higher risk of readmissions.

The outdoor concert raised money for the St. Vincent's House Dementia Respite Program which started as a pilot in 2019 with UTMB Geriatrics and has been funded for two years through a 2020 President's Cabinet Award led by Erin Hommel, MD, Melissa Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP, and Andrea Wirt, MSN, GNP.

The Texas Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) will be accepting applications for pilot funding for the academic year (07/01/21 to 06/30/22) until January 15, 2021.

Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD has published a new article, "Soy diferente: a qualitative study on the perceptions of recovery following traumatic brain injury among Spanish-speaking U.S. immigrants."

Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR has been selected to receive The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award for 2020 at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. The award is designed to acknowledge outstanding contributions in the field of the rehabilitation of aging individuals. A lecture in the name of this award is part of the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting Online and will feature an address by Dr. Ottenbacher on November 5, 2020.

The Caregiver Connection Support Group is meeting virtually on Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays monthly from 12 -1 p.m. All family caregivers of older adults with dementia or other special needs are welcome. Hosted by Alice Williams, MS, LBSW from SCOA.

A new factsheet from Dr. Wong and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) is now available. Download Aging in Mexico: Frailty MHAS Factsheet 20-3 October 2020 at the WHO/PAHO website.

Thank you all for joining the Walk on October 17, 2020 and for supporting our team under the able leadership of our Co-Captains—Alice Williams & Kayla Shamburger. Kudos to Alice and Kayla for doing an outstanding job of organizing the team and raising over 8K for the Alzheimer's Association, an important step in winning the fight against Alzheimer's.

Erin Hommel, MD, Melissa Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP, and Andrea Wirt, MSN, GNP were awarded a 2020 President's Cabinet Award. Caregiver burden is significant for families of geriatric patients. Following the success of a 2019 collaboration between the UTMB Geriatrics Department and the St. Vincent’s House Clinic, this project seeks to expand free respite care to all UTMB campuses.

New School of Health Professions / School of Nursing Grant: Multidisciplinary Development of Walk and Talk Videos to Increase Physical Activity Among Diverse Older Women. Annalyn DeMello PhD, MPH, RN​ (SON) Elizabeth Lyons, MPH, PhD (SHP), and Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD (SHP) were awarded a fiscal year 2021 SHP/SON grant for a new project that aims to increase physical activity in older women.

Rachel Deer, PhD is leading the research arm of a new Post-COVID Recovery Clinic at UTMB. Recovery from COVID-19 is posing a new set of challenges for patients and physicians alike. The Post-COVID Rehabilitation Clinic has a multidisciplinary team from a broad range of specialties to address the issues of COVID-19 aftercare. Make an appointment by calling (832) 632-6666.

“An important concern is the current penalties for readmission do not to take into consideration the impact on mortality. Reducing readmissions may inadvertently affect minority and disadvantaged patients. These patients are not only at higher risk for readmission, they may also be at higher risk of dying,” said senior author Dr. Gulshan Sharma, director of the Division of Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine.

The UTMB Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center encourages UTMB investigators to submit RL5 scholar applications. The Research Education Component engages early-stage investigators in a mentored research experience to support the development of externally funded research. Deadline: October 9, 2020.

Proposals from any domain of translational research (T1-T4) are welcome. Projects will be funded for one year, with total annual direct costs not to exceed $50,000. LOI Deadline: Friday, September 25, 2020

Ritchie, Alice and Candy continue to serve the community during the COVID-19 pandemic by volunteering to feed those in need.

Sadaf MIlani, PhD has joined the UTMB Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, as an assistant professor and BIRCWH scholar focusing on pain, prescription opioids, and cognition, among older women.

United Press International: Research conducted at UTMB found that 90 percent or more of people undergoing total knee or hip replacement in 2017 received a prescription for opioid pain relievers within 60 days of surgery, up from 82 percent three years earlier.

Mukaila Raji, MD and Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD with their team published, "Opioid Use and Pain Control After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in the US, 2014 to 2017," in JAMA on July 30, 2020. Fourth year medical student Rahul Shah was the first author on the article.

Mukaila Raji, MD and Yong-Fang Kuo, PhD received a second round of funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH for grant, "Effectiveness, toxicity and safety of opioid and benzodiazepine substitutes," through 2024.

Monique R. Pappadis, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, has been awarded a new grant from the National Institute on Aging for her 5-year project, "Chronic Care Management of Geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury."

The National Institute on Aging has announced $6.3M in continued funding for the UTMB Pepper Center for the next five years (through June 2025). Funded since 2000, the Center has focused on helping older adults improve muscle strength and regain function after an illness.

The eagerly awaited results for the Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE) Trial are now available in the New England Journal of Medicine. This was a team effort among multiple institutions and health care systems across the US.

​The Volpi/Deer hospital research team has been recruiting for in-hospital and post-discharge studies since late April 2020 when Phase 1 research came back online after the COVID19 shutdown. They are currently recruiting for two randomized clinical trials investigating pragmatic interventions to slow muscle loss during hospitalization and accelerate recovery of physical function after discharge.

Researchers are invited to join two upcoming webinars from The Pepper Coordinating Center. July 10 - Succeeding in aging research during the pandemic: a webinar for research fellows and junior faculty. July 15 - Spotlight on AGS20 Virtual Sessions: Preventing Serious Fall Injuries: Primary Findings from the STRIDE Study.

The Caregiver Connection Support Group is meeting virtually on Zoom on the first Wednesday monthly from 12 -1 p.m. All family caregivers of older adults with dementia or other special needs are welcome.

The DCARE Study has recruited 20% of the target sample and that we are now ready to include participants that only speak Spanish into the study. Are you caring for someone experiencing memory problems? Enrollment is ongoing. Contact us today. Call (409) 266-9641.

Alice Williams participated in the Longest Day fundraiser on June 20th. Alice rode her bicycle at sunrise and sunset along the beautiful back roads by Galveston's West Bay to honor family caregivers of people with dementia. She raised $1,000 to advance the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer's Association.

The Chief Research office and UTMB CTSA in collaboration with UTMB infectious disease research community hosted a COVID-19 Research Virtual Workshop to facilitate learning and discussion around critical research questions related to the pandemic. On Thursday June 11, researches from the Sealy Center on Aging gave presentations about COVID-19 in older adults.

As the world continues dealing with the pandemic, an international team of computational scientists, medicinal chemists, biochemists, and virologist, led by Texas researchers, are working to rapidly identify drug like molecules that stop SARS-CoV-2.

Dr. Cynthia Li and colleagues published a new scientific article, "Impact of Self-Care and Mobility on One or More Post-Acute Care Transitions". This paper is a result of a pilot project from the UTMB Pepper Center previously awarded to Dr. Li.

Dr. Mansoo Ko and colleagues published a new scientific article, "Gait Deviation Associated with Absent Terminal Stance Phase in People with Stroke." Dr. Ko is a past recipient of a pilot project from the UTMB Pepper Center.

The RSVP of Galveston County continues to help the community. Alice Williams and Ritchie Adoue have teamed up to be back-up volunteers for the local Meals on Wheels program. Catherine Cooksley, a retired member of the Sealy Center on Aging and volunteer with the RSVP Program, also helps deliver meals. Each month, Ritchie Adoue serves dinner at Salvation Army.

Congratulations to former Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) graduating medical student Usama Jazzar, this year’s recipient of the Edward J and Ellie Weisiger Lefeber, Sr Prize in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.

The Sealy Center on Aging welcomes three students in the Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program this summer. Welcome, Lan Vu, Michael Sewanaku, Sun Paek.

A new factsheet from Dr. Wong and the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) is now available. Download Aging in Mexico: The Most Vulnerable Adults MHAS Factsheet 20-2 May 2020 at the WHO/PAHO website.

April 20, 2020 at noon: Sealy Center on Aging & Health of Older Minorities Special Lecture, “Living Arrangements of Older Mexican Americans," presented by Phillip A. Cantu, PhD, Project Director, Texas Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly.

Former UTMB Pepper Center Pilot award recipient Chih-Ying (Cynthia) Li, PhD, Dept of Occupational Therapy has been selected to receive a 2 year AOTF grant and a 5 year NIH/NICHD grant award.

The Caregiver Connection support group, led by Alice Williams, Community Education Specialist with SCOA, held its first teleconference meeting on April 1. The group will continue to meet virtually until further notice. Contact Alice Williams at alwillia@utmb.edu for more info.

Dr. Ottenbacher received a new 5-year grant from the NIH/NIA, titled “Academic Leadership Award in Data Science and Discovery” (K07AG064031)

Announcing the availability of online videos from the 25th Annual Lefeber Winter Series on Aging at UTMB. Watch 5 one-hour videos from this year's selection of experts, and browse previous recordings.

Community Education Specialist Alice Williams, LBSW, MS and others visited HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland on February 27, 2020 where they presented “Navigating the Resource Jungle – Tips and resources for quickly finding care and services in our community” at the Community Assistance Providers of Galveston County (CAPGAL) monthly meeting.

One hundred seniors from across Texas came together in the piney woods of Camp Allen to celebrate aging abundantly through fellowship, learning, being in nature, fishing, music, yoga and much more March 2-4, 2020 at Camp Allen, Navasota, TX.

RSVP Program Director Ritchie Adoue hosted coordinated the 2020 Texas Senior Corps Association Conference here in Galveston on February 26 – 28, 2020.

Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Melissa C. Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP-BC is President Elect of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) Gulf Coast Region (Dallas, Brownsville, San Antonio Region). She will take office in July, 2020. Dr. Lockhart is currently involved in the Dementia Care Study (D-CARE) supported by the Sealy Center on Aging at UTMB.

“Loss of lean body mass and function with aging decreases the amount of metabolically active tissue, which can lead to insulin resistance,” Elena Volpi, MD, said at the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease. “Insulin resistance reduces muscle protein anabolism and accelerates sarcopenia, perpetuating a vicious cycle.”

Community Education Specialist Alice Williams, LBSW, MS, visited Gulf Parkinson's Source (GPS) meeting on February 6, 2020 where she presented about current research at SCOA, UTMB resources for community education & caregiving, and the Abundant Living Conference.

Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Melissa C. Lockhart, PhD, APRN, GNP-BC was recently invited to present, "Protect Your Loved Ones. Obtain the Forms Everyone Should Have," in the weekly "Time-Out" Session hosted by the UTMB Health Resource Center on February 5, 2020 at 2pm in Jennie Sealy 2.506A. Dr. Lockhart is currently involved in the Dementia Care Study (D-CARE).

Community Education Specialist Alice Williams, LBSW, MS visited Greater St. Matthews Baptist Church where she gave a presentation about the annual Abundant Living Conference and the RSVP of Galveston County. She also presented about current opportunities to participate in aging research at UTMB.

Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly: An Update Presented by Kyriakos S. Markides, PhD, Professor, Annie and John Gnitzinger Professor of Aging; Editor, Journal of Aging and Health

Congratulations to Elizabeth J. Lyons, PhD, MPH, on new professorship: the Grace Bucksch Gnitzinger Distinguished Professorship in Aging.

Monique Pappadis, MEd, PhD collaborated with the Chronic Brain Injury Task Force of American College of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) on a special issue of Brain Injury Professional.

Rebeca Wong, PhD and colleagues hosted the annual meeting for users of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) November 20-22 in Mexico. Sixty-five international scholars and students attended the meeting and thirty-six oral presentations were given. Participating institutions included eleven from Mexico and sixteen from outside of Mexico.

A new paper in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences shows potential new ways to speed up recovery from the hospital. UTMB researchers tried different strategies to boost the function of older adults hospitalized for an acute illness.

The Texas Resource Center on Minority Aging Research is accepting pilot applications until January 13, 2020.

Hospitalist schedules promoting inpatient continuity of care may be associated with better outcomes of hospitalization. James S. Goodwin discusses in a podcast with JAMA.

Physical activity and diet play a vital role in protecting muscle health. Doug Paddon-Jones, PhD studies how to retain muscle strength and how to consume proteins to help with this process.

Recent PhD program graduate Jaspreet Sodhi and colleagues published a paper, Pain as a predictor of frailty over time among older Mexican Americans in the Journal PAIN. A video and press release are now online.

Faculty and student researchers from the Sealy Center on Aging and the Pepper Center at UTMB attended the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of American November 13-17, 2019 in Austin, Texas.