Who We Are | Institute of Gerontology

In 1965, the State of Michigan took a landmark step in advancing gerontology as a field of inquiry in the United States by creating at the University of Michigan the nation's first State funded center on aging. By continually responding to the needs of the times, the leaders of the Institute of Gerontology (IoG) have shaped an Institute that has remained at the forefront of gerontological research. In the future, as in the past, innovation will be the benchmark of the University of Michigan record in gerontology. The IoG is home to a world class faculty who conduct cutting edge research and who have been recognized with both individual and institutional awards.

In an effort to strengthen aging initiatives on campus, the University of Michigan has merged the Institute of Gerontology with the Medical School’s Geriatrics Center. The combination will integrate U-M’s internationally recognized clinical, educational and research programs, which are expanding knowledge of the aging process and addressing the health care concerns of older adults.

Members of the IoG are very active in gerontological research, and many are directors or participants in large multidisciplinary projects. In addition, many of our members direct individual research projects, as well. Listed below is a sampling of some of the research projects being carried out by members of the IoG.

Dr. Miller, in collaboration with Drs. Brooks, Burke, Faulkner, Gafni and Galecki, is leading an NIA-funded Program Project that is looking at the genetics of age-sensitive traits in a specific physiological or biochemical domain.

Dr. Faulkner heads a Program Project grant from the NIA to study reactive oxygen species in relation to stress and damage in old muscle. This study involves collaborators in one English and two other American universities.

Dr. Fries, working with IoG member Mary James, is involved in a multitude of studies on quality care indicators, especially as they relate to nursing homes, and their impact on health care policy. Many of these studies are done in collaboration with the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged in Massachusetts and a large number of international collaborators.

Drs. Ashton-Miller, Alexander, Liang and Verbrugge are involved in a mobility project that studies biomechanical, clinical and social aspects of mobility changes in older persons.

A group of IoG investigators, including Drs. Alexander, Ashton-Miller, Carlson, Cederna, and Faulkner are working on a large project funded by the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor. This project involves a multilevel analysis, ranging from the single muscle fiber to wholebody mechanics, of specific training effects on aspects of strength and mobility in healthy older subjects.

Bioengineering plays a significant role in the IoG research portfolio. Drs. Hunt and Kipke have been recipients of large DARPA grants for highly futuristic research projects.

Although some of the current research themes are initiated and carried out by a single investigator, much of the research at the IoG is interdisciplinary. In addition, the research agendas are varied and no two faculty members are pursuing an identical portfolio. The IoG and the University of Michigan continue to lead the way in attracting and maintaining federal research dollars. Compared with this country's other large gerontology centers and institutes, the IoG has a remarkably broad range of intellectual interests, is home to two National Institutes of Aging-funded center grants, and its faculty's research productivity is second to none.

An outgrowth of the multidisciplinary research at the IoG has been the development of several major research centers.

Nathan Shock Center for the Basic Biology of Aging

The Nathan Shock Center for the Basic Biology of Aging supports ongoing research projects and assists in the development of new research collaborations among faculty inside and outside the IoG, particularly in the areas of contraction-induced injury, genetically-modified traits, musculoskeletal frailty, protein folding, signal transduction and T cell function. The Center supports the research of junior faculty with a pilot grant program and age-related research programs for all faculty. Dr. Faulkner is the Director of the Shock Center with Dr. Miller as Associate Director. Dr. Faulkner is also the Director of the Administrative/Enrichment Core and the Contractility Core. Other Core Directors are Dr. Brooks, Research and Development Core; Dr. Metzger, In Vivo Functionality Core; Dr. Keller, Aging Transgenic Rodent/Pathology Core; and Dr. Camper, Transgenic Animal Model Core.

Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center

In September 1989, the University of Michigan established the nation's first Claude D. Pepper Geriatrics Center with a grant from the National Institute on Aging. The overall goals of the University of Michigan Pepper Center are to advance research on health care problems of the elderly and to train future academic leaders in geriatrics and gerontology. Drawing on the large base of research currently underway in these fields at the University of Michigan, the Pepper Center fosters collaborative multidisciplinary research to integrate basic science, clinical science, and health services research relevant to the health care problems of older adults. Dr. Halter directs the Pepper Center. Several other IoG faculty members participate with the Pepper Center as core directors. Dr. Ashton-Miller, Biomechanics Core; Dr. Miller, Core Facility For Aged Rodents and Research Development Core; Dr. Fries, Methodology, Data Management and Analysis Core; and Dr. Liang, Human Subjects Core.

Our faculty participate in two other major center grants: the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center.

The Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health, supports highly productive research projects in neurodegenerative disease and Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The IoG faculty who participate with the Center are Drs. Gafni and Turner.

The Ann Arbor Geriatrics Research, Education and Clinical Center is one of 16 national centers of excellence within the Department of Veteran's Affairs health care system, designed for the advancement and integration of research, education and clinical achievements in geriatrics and gerontology in the total health care system. IoG faculty who participate in this center are Drs. Alexander, Fries, Halter, Miller, Terpenning and Turner.