The Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee spoke to Associate Professor Paul Nash on sexual health among older adults and the risk of STDs.
Los Angeles Times and Yahoo News mentioned Somkene Okwuego BS ’21 MASM ’22 in a column discussing her pursuit of geriatric dentistry, and how she serves as a reminder that a growing population of older adults creates a demand for a workforce that will support them.
BBC spoke with Professor Mara Mather on how slow breathing can help guard against Alzheimer’s. “Slow-paced breathing might have benefits not only for emotional well-being – but also for improving biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Los Angeles Times spoke with Senior Associate Dean Maria Henke on robots working in elderly care. Henke acknowledges both the benefits and shortfalls of robotic companionship. “You don’t want to spend Christmas Eve with a robot,” she said.
Washington Post spoke with Dean Pinchas Cohen on maximum life expectancy regarding concerns about Biden’s and Trump’s ages.
“Genetics determines maximum life expectancy and lifestyle determines the actual life expectancy, which is always less,” said Cohen.
High school students from the USC TRiO Educational Talent Search program recently visited the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, where they toured state-of-the-art laboratories and received advice from USC undergraduates participating in aging research. The goal of the TRiO program is to help students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education and the field trip to the Leonard Davis School aimed to encourage them to see themselves as future students and scientists.
“Most of our students come from underrepresented backgrounds and we want to give them exposure to students doing university research and to ensure that they can see that it’s possible for them too,” said TRiO director Judy Fillarca. “Our goal is to make them inspired and hopeful.”
The high school students heard from a panel of undergraduate scholars from USC’s GEMSTEM program, an NIA-funded program designed to provide opportunities to emerging researchers from diverse backgrounds and to increase the number of researchers working to reduce health disparities in older adult populations. Each GEMSTEM student presented their research and passed along valuable guidance, including encouragement to be true to oneself, avoid comparisons, remain curious, and embrace failure.
GEMSTEM students also shared the degree of support they received from faculty mentors, not only in research but also in academics and personal growth.
“You always have someone in your corner,” said Aaliyah Thomas, a GEMSTEM scholar conducting social science research on centenarians in the Ailshire Research Group at the USC Leonard Davis School. “The cool thing about research is there is so much to study. You can literally do anything.”
In addition to gaining an understanding that scientific investigations encompass many topics, the students also learned that options to participate in research can be available to anyone with an interest.
Maria Oorloff, a first-year transfer student and GEMSTEM scholar working in the Sanabria Lab recounted how she learned to conduct and present research despite never being exposed to it before coming to USC.
“When I was in high school, we didn’t have labs, and I’d never even seen a beaker or pipette,” said Oorloff. “My mentor worked with me one-on-one to figure out a plan that suits me and now I want to continue to do research.”
Hearing from students like Maria helped the students feel like there is a place for them in labs and at schools like USC.
“Some of them don’t even have a research background and for them to now have an interest in it, made me have an interest too,” said TRiO student Rich Lopez.
“After hearing everyone present, I realized they are just people,” added fellow student David Miguel. “It gave me the confidence to actually be able to apply to this school.”
USA TODAY spoke to Assistant Professor Cristal Hill about longevity science.
Hill shared the importance of exercise and diet in healthy aging. “A professional football player needs a lot more protein than the average person. But after retirement, if that player eats the same amount of protein while exercising far less, it will lead to unhealthy fat,” said Hill.
AARP mentioned an article by the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology on how to prepare for caring for loved ones who require assistance as they age. With a significant percentage of seniors opting to age in their own homes, there is a growing need for family caregivers to provide long-term care. AARP Virginia also sponsored the Careversations event, which focused on offering resources and support to caregivers. The event covered various topics, including creating a caregiving plan, finding support, and emphasizing the importance of self-care.