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July 2012

Rising Researcher

By Featured


The effects of neighborhood environment and social relationships on health and longevity fascinate Jennifer Ailshire, PhD As a sociologist and social demographer at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology/Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, she is involved in several major studies analyzing these effects on human wellbeing across the lifespan.

Appearing in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Ailshire’s most recent publication, co-authored with Sarah A. Burgard, PhDof the University of Michigan, studies the under examined links between sleep, one of the most essential life functions, and interactions with family, our most important social relationships.

In “Family Relationships and Troubled Sleep among U.S. Adults: Examining the Influences of Contact Frequency and Relationship Quality,” Ailshire and Burgard found that demanding family relationships can negatively influence your sleep, which may have serious consequences for your health and wellbeing.

“We found that individuals with strained and demanding family relationships, especially those who had regular contact with family members, reported more frequent trouble sleeping,” Ailshire said. “This study is important because it suggests that families—whether or not they live with you—matter for sleep and that even though sleep is a very individualistic activity, it is embedded in a larger social context.”

The duo’s findings have far-ranging repercussions for clinicians and health-care providers, whom they hope will use this data to help patients with trouble sleeping look at their issues holistically in terms of the stress brought on by their social and family relationships.

Ailshire’s focus on how complex psychosocial webs, layered relationships and physical environments influence health led her to successfully apply for the prestigious National Institute on Aging (NIA) K99/R00 grant. While the majority of these awards go to biomedical researchers, Ailshire became only the second awardee ever in NIA’s Division of Behavioral and Social Science Research.

“The K99/R00 is an extremely competitive grant that identifies exceptionally promising post-doctoral fellows and supports them during their transition to independence,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “I am delighted that Jennifer has been selected to receive one and we are all proud to have her do her work in the USC Leonard Davis School.”

Under the terms of this award, Ailshire’s proposed research will study how neighborhood environments influence health and functioning among its residents, with a special focus on older residents. To aid her research, Ailshire will complete additional training in the workings of the cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, neuroendrocrine and immune systems. In light of all of her success, Ailshire credits USC for serving as an excellent, supportive environment for a young researcher.

“In addition to being evaluated based on the proposed science and my strengths as a research scientist, my proposal was also evaluated based on the institutional environment and my mentors, including Eileen Crimmins, Caleb Finch and Margy Gatz,” Ailshire said. “I believe that being at the USC Leonard Davis School and the Andrus Center was a major contributing factor in getting this award.”

By Jonathan Riggs

USC Study Examines Abuse of Low-Income Latino Elders

By Featured

A sobering new study by researchers from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology finds that elder abuse in low-income Latino communities goes largely unreported.

More than 40 percent of Latino elders told Spanish-speaking interviewers that they had been abused or neglected in the last year — yet only 1.5 percent of victims said they had ever reported the abuse to authorities.

Welcome!

By Featured, Mitochondria

Pinchas Cohen, a prominent researcher and leader in the field of gerontology, begins his tenure as dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, effective July 16. He will also become the holder of the William and Sylvia Kugel Dean’s Chair in Gerontology as well as executive director of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center.

Formerly vice chair for research at the UCLA School of Medicine, Cohen has overseen numerous teaching, training and research activities at UCLA and has been involved in programs related to diseases of aging, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic disorders.

Previously, he served as chief and professor of endocrinology at Mattel Children’s Hospital and associate director of the UCSD-UCLA Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center.

Focusing his research on the emerging field of mitochondrial biology, Cohen and his team have worked to demonstrate the importance of mitochondrial peptides in aging and longevity. He is co-founder of CohBar, a biotechnology company developing mitochondrial peptides for the treatment of diabetes.

Cohen has received several awards for his work in the field of aging, including a National Institute of Aging EUREKA Award, the National Institutes of Health Director’s Transformative Research Award and the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging.

He serves on the boards of several professional journals and societies, including the American Federation for Aging Research and the Growth Hormone Research Society.

A prolific author, Cohen has published more than 250 papers in top scientific journals and his work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

Cohen earned his MD degree with top honors from the Technion School of Medicine in Israel, and was a resident and fellow at Stanford University, after which he spent seven years at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I’m honored to be given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead the world’s oldest and largest school of gerontology,” Cohen said. “I look forward to joining forces with our amazing faculty, staff and students to continue and expand the USC Leonard Davis School’s mission: to improve the quality of life for older adults through research, service and education.”

Her Honor

By Featured

A researcher whose work and influence can be felt on a global scale, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Eileen Crimmins, PhD, was named the winner of the 2012 Robert W. Kleemeier Award, one of the most prestigious given by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Named for an influential former president of GSA, the Kleemeier Award is given in recognition of outstanding research in the field of gerontology. Crimmins, who holds the AARP Chair of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School, is also the director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health as well as the Multidisciplinary Training in Gerontology Program and the Network on Biological Risk, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Her research explores the connections between socioeconomic factors, life expectancy and other health outcomes.

“Eileen Crimmins is truly one of the all-time greats. The importance of her work to gerontology—as well to science in general—cannot be overstated,” said Pinchas Cohen, MD, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School. “We are enormously proud to see her recognized with this wonderful award.”

Crimmins will receive an inscribed crystal award during a special presentation at the President’s Opening Session in November for this year’s GSA, to be held in San Diego, CA. She will present the Kleemeier Lecture at GSA’s 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting, to be held in New Orleans, LA.

“I will receive this award not only because of my own research but because I am a member of the faculty at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology: the best institution for gerontological research in the world,” Crimmins said. “I am honored to join my fellow faculty members Vern Bengtson and Caleb Finch in the list of Kleemeier awardees.”

Asian and American Allies in Aging

By Featured

Nowhere on earth will the impact of the aging revolution be as drastic as in China—by 2050, there will be more than 400 million Chinese citizens over the age of 60.

With an enormous population, a low mortality rate and its infamous “one child” policy, China is now in the unique position of having too few younger people to support its older citizens, who face a dangerously stressed national infrastructure. As the world watches to see how the nation meets these unprecedented challenges, high-ranking officials invited the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Assistant Dean, Maria Henke, M.A., to explore the possibility of international collaborations.

Drawing on the USC Leonard Davis School’s international reputation among Asian countries and its success with a pilot gerontology-training program in Tokyo, Henke toured many of the country’s facilities and universities. Accompanied by USC Leonard Davis/Keck School professor Edward L. Schneider, MD, and the USC Leonard Davis School’s Director of International Student Initiatives, May Ng, Henke also embarked on a series of meetings to lay the groundwork for future partnerships.

“The link between the USC Leonard Davis School and Asia has always been strong, and we are thrilled about the opportunities our aging expertise could create in China,” said Henke. “We have the potential to help enact very real changes that will benefit literally millions of older adults in China and beyond.”

“Maria was besieged the phone calls from Chinese universities interested in working with the USC Leonard Davis School,” Schneider said. “They recognized that USC was the leading university in the field of gerontology and were eager to discuss collaborations.”

After attending the first China International Senior Services Expo in Shanghai, Henke and Schneider also met with Du Yubo, the Vice Minister of Education, as well as representatives of City University of Hong Kong, the Alliance of International Education, the University of Peking, Renmin University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Technology.

“We were honored to meet so many Chinese and international experts in the field,” Henke said. “The universal desire to improve the quality of life for the older adults of today as well as of tomorrow was inspiring in any language.”

Besides the discussions of academic and professional gerontological programs, the pair met with representatives from planned senior housing communities such as Display Infinity Limited and Belmont Villages.

Home Safe

By Featured

Every year, safe, affordable housing options for older adults become more crucial. In recognition of his esteemed career serving the housing needs of the world’s aging population, the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s Jon Pynoos, PhD, was honored with the Janet L. Witkin Humanitarian Award from Affordable Living for the Aging (ALA).

“I am very honored to receive ALA’s award named for Janet Witkin, whom I first met in 1980 when I was just starting out at USC,” Pynoos said. “Despite the challenges of developing housing for low-income seniors, Janet pioneered the concepts of shared housing and house-matching. She was innovative, tenacious and big-hearted.”“Dr. Pynoos is a powerful advocate for helping others understand that how we design housing—with considerations for the built environment and services—can enhance the vitality of individuals at any age,” said Rachel Caraviello, ALA’s VP of Programs and Services and a USC Leonard Davis alumna. “He has spent his career advising leaders like Janet and educating decision makers, nationally, about the need for more accessible, affordable housing so our communities are prepared to support an aging population.”

Janet L. Witkin founded ALA in 1978 after seeing the limited housing options available to her ailing grandfather. Over the course of her career, she created the first cooperative living house for seniors in L.A., a roommate-matching program and five cooperative residences for low-income seniors. Although she died in 2009, her work lives on in the mission of ALA, who have helped more than 30,000 seniors in their search for safe, stable housing.

“I am inspired by those who are following in Janet’s footsteps to create innovative programs and housing opportunities, to impact the lives of L.A.’s seniors and to prove that if there is a will, there is a way,” Pynoos said. “Shared and supportive housing is life-enriching at a time when older people’s incomes, social networks and supports are often shrinking. Today, such housing options are particularly important.”

In his speech, Pynoos discussed his urban planning, fall prevention and aging research, describing how older adults benefit from the increased companionship, engagement and support found in shared living arrangements like the ones ALA builds—and how absolutely necessary it is to take a fresh look at housing needs through an aging lens.

“Winston Churchill once said, ‘We shape our houses and later they shape us,’” Pynoos said. “ALA has proved Churchill wrong. Keep up the good work.”

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