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Our Mission

The Los Angeles Aging Research Alliance promotes age-related advances from USC, UCLA and other area organizations working to improve health and well-being across the lifespan.

About Us

The Los Angeles Area Research Alliance (LAARA) is a collaborative network of scientists and leaders in gerontology, geriatrics, and geroscience. Representing the University of Southern California (USC), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), our alliance is dedicated to advancing the understanding of aging and improving healthspan for older adults. Through interdisciplinary research, education, and innovation, LAARA leverages the expertise and resources of three world-renowned institutions to address the complexities of aging. Our overarching mission is to extend healthy lifespan (healthspan) by cultivating and fostering all facets of geroscience research, from aging biology to clinical trials. Our vision is a world where people live long, healthy and independent lives. 

Leadership

Jennifer Ailshire, PhD – Professor of Gerontology and Associate Dean of Research of the USC School of Gerontology.
Jennifer Ailshire, PhD – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Cathy Alessi, MDProfessor of Medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Greater LA VA Healthcare System.
Cathy Alessi | UCLA Profiles

Em Arpawong, PhD, MPH – Research Associate Professor of Gerontology and Director of the Gerontology Bioinformatics Core. 
T. Em Arpawong, PhD, MPH – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Susan Cheng, MD – Erika J. Glazer Chair in Cardiovascular Health and Population Science, Director of the Institute for Research on Healthy Aging, and Director of Population Health Sciences in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
Susan Cheng Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Pinchas Cohen, MD – Dean of the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and the Executive Director of the Andrus Gerontology Center.
Pinchas Cohen, MD – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Eileen Crimmins, PhD – AARP Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and co-Director of the USC/UCLA Center of Biodemography and Population Health.
Eileen Crimmins, PhD – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Sean Curran, PhD – Professor of Gerontology and Molecular and Computational Biology and the Vice Dean, Dean of Faculty and Dean of Research for the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. 
Sean Curran, PhD – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Sara Espinoza, MD, MSc – Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Translational Geroscience at CSMC.
Sara Espinoza Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

David Ganz, MD, PhD – Professor of Medicine at UCLA and health services researcher at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.
David Ganz | UCLA Profiles

Mitzi Gonzales, PhD – Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of Translational Research for the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders.
Mitzi Gonzales Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

James Kirkland, MD, PhD – Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Advanced Gerotherapeutics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
James Kirkland Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Jason Moore, PhD – is Professor Chair of Computational Biomedicine.
Jason Moore Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Nicolas Musi, MD – Professor and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Director of the Center on Aging and Diabetes, and Vice Chair for Translational Research in the Department of Medicine at CSMC.
Nicolas Musi Profile | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Daniel Nation, PhD – Professor of Gerontology and Medicine and the Merle H. Bensinger Professor in Gerontology.
Daniel Nation, PhD – USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

Thomas Rando, MD, PhD – Professor of Medicine and Director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.
Thomas A. Rando, M.D., Ph.D. | UCLA BSCRC

David Reuben, MD – Professor Medicine and Chief of the UCLA Multicampus Program in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.
David Reuben | UCLA Profiles

Mina Sedrak, MD, MS – Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the UCLA Cancer and Aging Program.
Mina S. Sedrak, MD, MS – Member Directory | UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

Jonathan Wanagat, MD, PhD – Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UCLA and Staff Physician at the Greater Los Angeles GRECC.
Jonathan Wanagat | UCLA Profiles