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April 2012

From Science to Service

By Featured

Bob Knight, PhD

USC is home to a vast array of aging-related research, as evidenced by the impressive speakers and scope of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s third annual interdisciplinary symposium, “What’s Hot in Aging Research at USC.”

As experts from across campus, including from the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Social Work, united at the Davis School of Gerontology’s auditorium on April 10, attendees were treated to a full day of panels, poster sessions and presentations.

“Complex human problems require complex study,” said Gerald C. Davison, PhD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “The way we change over time and especially into old age represents great intellectual and social challenges, which require great interdisciplinary responses and solutions.”

“Basically, the intention of today is to show people the connection between basic science, its constituent disciplines and its practice,” said Bob Knight, PhD, associate dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “In different ways, all the speakers today are involved in both research as well as real-world interventions for older adults.”

Subtitled “From Science to Service,” the conference followed the arc of “bench science to bedside,” beginning with current geriatric medical research.

The first two speakers, Ihab Hajjar, MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, USC School of Pharmacy, discussed aging complications due to hypertension and diabetes, respectively, as well as their grounding scientific causes and potential cures.

The morning finished with Roseann Mulligan, DDS, Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and Knight transitioning from the research element to more functional applications.

Showing a picture of her 90-year-old mother-in-law as an example of healthy aging, Mulligan described the importance of oral health on older adults’ quality of life, examining how it impacts nutrition, communication, intimacy and self-esteem. Knight traced the complex interplay of emotion, cognition and aging as well as explaining several studies that reflected changing professional attitudes towards older adults, depression and treatment.

After lunch, the conference concluded with two panel discussions. The first brought together the members of USC’s interdisciplinary Geriatric Assessment Program (GAP): Knight; Patricia Harris, MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC; Bradley Williams, PharmD, USC School of Pharmacy; Piedad Suarez, DDS, Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC; and Anne Katz, PhD, LCSW, USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. The groundbreaking clinic, a free service that streamlines multiple medical visits into a one-stop-shop for older adults, inspired a flurry of spirited questions from the audience, many of whom were in the field themselves.

L to R: Anne Katz, PhD, LCSW, Patricia Harris, MD, Bradley Williams, PharmD, Piedad Suarez, DDS, and Bob Knight, PhD

“Since I only see patients who are 65 or older, I wanted to get some feedback on how to care for them better,” said Sharon Jafari, a geriatric nurse practitioner with Kaiser Permanente. “I came on behalf of my team to bring back the information, and I absolutely loved today’s program.”

The final panel of the day, made up exclusively of Davis School faculty, examined health care systems issues in geriatric health care. Beginning with a discussion of fall prevention from Jon Pynoos, PhD, the panel went on to feature Edward Schneider, MD on polypharmacy, Kathleen Wilber, PhD, on older adults transitioning out of—and, unfortunately, back into—nursing facilities and Susan Enguídanos, PhD, on end-of-life care.

As with its previous two installments, the third annual “What’s Hot in Aging Research at USC” showcased some of the most exciting gerontological developments at the university, as well as helping spark a desire in attendees to continue to bridge the gap between science and service.

“Translating research to practice especially interests me,” said George Caballero, a member of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging Advisory Board. “It was important for me to come to keep abreast of the latest research on working with older adults.”

“The dedication of the speakers is always obvious, and the program is always put together in such a classy manner,” said Susan Rose, USC’s Executive Director of the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects. “Every year I come, there’s always at least one speaker who captures something new and vital that concerns all of us, no matter our age. I always leave inspired and in awe of the work being done here at USC.”

Shaping the Future

By Featured

Mentors mold us every day, but all too often their world-changing contributions go unnoticed.

Happily, that’s not the case for the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Susan Enguídanos, PhD, and Sean Curran, PhD, who won 2012 USC Mellon Mentoring Awards.

Enguídanos was recognized for her work mentoring graduate students, with many alums submitting letters on her behalf as well.

“She is a caring and compassionate person who incorporates the importance of balancing all of life’s facets into her mentoring,” said doctoral student and nominator Alexis Coulourides Kogan. “I am appreciative every day because I get to work with such an exceptional teacher, mentor, supporter and friend.”

Curran was recognized for his work mentoring undergrad students, earning a slew of letters from the undergrad members of USC’s first-ever iGEM team, which he helped create.

“Dr. Curran embodies the very best spirit of mentorship in the field of scientific research, in which he graciously and enthusiastically shares his knowledge,” said USC alum and nominator Percy Genyk. “Better yet, he does so in a manner that leaves room for discovery by the beneficiary.”

As proud as the assistant professors were of their awards, they found the nominations themselves to be equally meaningful.

“The award is really the icing on the cake since mentoring is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job,” Curran said. “The development of students into scientists is wonderful transition to watch. Assisting in this process through mentorship has been my privilege.”

“I am fortunate to work with such motivated, intelligent and exceptional students who will contribute significantly to advancing research and practice in gerontology,” said Enguídanos. “To receive a nomination from them is one of the highest honors imaginable. We all learn and grow from the mentoring process.”

Rising Researcher

By Featured

Allison Foertsch

Emotions color and control so much of what we do, and why. As we age—biologically, psychologically, socially—our emotional responses change and grow more complicated.

Exploring this vast, ever-shifting backdrop to human behavior is the passion of USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology doctoral student Allison Foertsch, who was recently awarded a 2012 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. The GRFP awards $30,000 per a twelve-month Fellowship Year, and is funded for a maximum of three years.

“This is an amazing opportunity that will enable me to focus on research exclusively,” Foertsch said. “I was so pleased to have been admitted to a great research institute like USC, and to work with my mentor, Dr. Mara Mather. The addition of this fellowship is more than I could have ever asked for.”

Foertsch comes from an extensive research background and completed stints in Shirley McGuire’s Family Research Lab at the University of San Francisco (USF), Marisa Knight’s Emotion and Cognition Research Lab at USF, the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and, of course, Mara Mather’s Emotion and Cognition Research Lab at USC.

For her GRFP-funded research, Foertsch proposed a novel across-the-lifespan study testing arousal-biased competition (ABC) theory, developed by Mather and her graduate student, Matthew Sutherland, which seeks to explain how certain stimuli are “chosen” over others to create memories as well as investigating the effect of sleep on consolidation of these memories into long-term storage.

“Understanding why and how emotional arousal sometimes enhances and sometimes impairs memory, and how this changes across the lifespan, has wide application,” she said. “The brain is complicated, and learning about it has been fascinating.”

“Allie is not afraid to tackle new domains and pushes herself to learn new things. She has an infectious enthusiasm that makes her great at leading a research team,” said Mather. “I expect that she will be an influential researcher and educator in her future career.”

In fact, achieving her goals as both a researcher and educator is vitally important to Foertsch, a first-generation college student.

“I believe it is our responsibility as scientists to turn our research into communicable results. I hope to share my research in a way that engages people and motivates them to consider how science can translate into better lives,” Foertsch said. “I am truly honored and humbled to receive such a prestigious award. Many thanks to my mentors, my lab mates and collaborators, and my family.”

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